America  Kelsey 

A  Romance  of  the  Great 
San   Joaquin   Valley 


By 
DAVE   S.    MATTHEWS 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

DAVIS 


AMERICA  KELSEY 


Romance  of 
The  Great  San  Joaquin  Valley 


By 
DAVE  S.  MATTHEWS 


ILLUSTRATED    WITH    REPRODUCTIONS    OF    SAN 
JOAQUIN    VALLEY    SCENES 


Stockton  Record  Print,  Nineteen-fifteen. 


LIBRARY 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVf 

L.. 


UK1VEIV— .  DAVIS 


To  My  Wife 


Photos  by  Logan 
Engravings   by   Stockton   Photo-Engraving   Co. 


CONTENTS 


I.  A  Square  Mile  of  Land. 

II.  Enter,  a  Stranger. 

III.  Sociability. 

IV.  A  Tale  of  a  Tail. 
V.  Jose  Jesus. 

VI.  A  Journey  Begun. 

VII.  As  They  Witnessed  It. 

VIII.  From  Frying  Pan  Into  the  Fire. 

IX.  Accompanied  Home. 

X.  The  Best  Teacher. 

XI.  The  Spoils  of  Conquest. 

XII.  Good  Samaritans. 

XIII.  Something  Wrong. 

XIV.  A  Friend  Indeed. 
XV.  Captain  Weber. 

XVI.  The  Yellow  Metal. 

XVII.  A  Mortgage  Foreclosed. 


FOREWORD. 


This  is  a  fictional  story  of  life  in  the 
great  San  Joaquin  valley  based  on  actual 
historical  facts.  The  heroine  is  America 
Kelsey,  the  first  white  girl  to  live  in  the 
section  of  the  state  of  California  now 
known  as  San  Joaquin  county. 

The  names  in  most  instances  are  those 
of  people  who  actually  lived  there  during 
the  strenuous  days  depicted.  The  Indian 
tribes,  history  tells  us,  were  as  described. 

The  author  has  used  the  writer's  license 
in  weaving  a  romance  that  demands  the 
use  of  fiction  throughout.  In  fact,  it's  not 
a  history — it's  a  romantic  story  of  Cali 
fornia  life.  To  possible  heirs  of  charac 
ters  whose  names  have  been  used  in  this 
story,  I  beg  their  indulgence. 

Respectfully, 
DAVE  S.  MATTHEWS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
A  SQUARE:  MILE:  OF  LAND. 

America  rushed  into  the  tule  hut  that 
constituted  the  entire  "city  of  French 
Camp,"  her  golden  hair  partly  screening 
the  look  of  fear  that  marked  her  counte 
nance. 

Words  were  not  needed  to  tell  her 
father  that  it  was  the  Yachekos.  Similar 
experiences  had  made  this  fact  evident. 
Then,  too,  there  was  no  other  reason  why 
America  would  rush  breathlessly  into  her 
home.  True,  the  country  abounded  in 
wild  animals  whose  haunts  America's 
father  had  dared  to  penetrate,  but  they 
always  ran  from  mankind  unless  cornered. 

The  Yacheko  Indians  did  not  receive 
their  white  brother  and  his  family  as  de 
sirable  colonists,  even  though  Thomas 
Gulnac,  who  was  camped  at  the  Cosumnes 
river,  had  the  presumption  to  give  Kelsey 
a  square  mile  of  land  on  the  agreement 
that  he  would  live  there  one  year.  Gulnac 
gave  that  which  belonged  to  the  Yachekos 


4  AMERICA    KELSEY 

and  the  Indians  had  taken  exceptions  to 
the  white  man's  settling  there.  His  in 
trusion  into  their  hunting  grounds  was 
sufficient,  let  alone  his  unmitigated  nerve 
in  erecting  a  tule  hut. 

But  Gulnac  had  a  long  head.  He  did 
not  send  Kelsey  to  his  task  unarmed.  So 
far  as  the  result  of  his  "armament"  was 
concerned  it  might  have  been  a  troop  of 
cavalry,  so  effective  did  it  prove  to  be. 

The  Kelsey  family's  protector  consisted 
of  a  cannon  mounted  on  a  "swivel" — one 
that  Gulnac  had  obtained  from  Captain 
Sutter.  Kelsey  always  had  it  ready  for 
action. 

He  kept  it  in  front  of  the  hut — far 
enough  in  front  to  prevent  the  recoil  from 
working  havoc  with  his  palatial  abode. 

This  pioneer  of  the  San  Joaquin  was  all 
action.  Physical  effort  had  to  accompany 
thoughts  in  those  days.  He  did  not  wait 
for  America  to  tell  with  words  what  her 
countenance  and  actions  explained.  Clos 
ing  the  heavy  door  of  his  hut  behind  him, 
his  next  step  brought  him  to  the  camp  fire, 
the  hot  coals  of  which  provided  excellent 
means  of  putting  his  "battery"  into  action. 

The  Indians  were  just  beyond  the  creek, 
which  today  is  designated  as  French  Camp 
slough.  They  were  preparing  for  the  last 


A    SQUARE    MILE    OF    LAND  5 

rush.  Kelsey  dropped  a  hot  coal  on  the 
priming  hole,  jumped  to  one  side,  and  in 
stantly  the  "battery"  went  into  action. 

The  effect  was  all  that  could  be  desired. 
The  Yachekos'  ardor  to  give  battle  van 
ished  as  the  sun  on  a  cloudy  day.  For  a 
moment  they  stood  as  though  stunned; 
then  mounting  their  ponies,  rode  with  full 
speed  toward  the  west.  They  went 
straight  in  the  direction  of  Mt.  Diablo,  for 
even  the  Mount  of  the  Devil  was  not  as 
much  to  be  feared  as  this  weapon  of  the 
Devil  that  the  white  settler  possessed. 

Kelsey  enjoyed  the  situation  and  he 
laughed  loud  and  long  as  he  watched  the 
Indians  fleeing  westward.  The  golden 
rays  of  a  California  sunset  constituted  the 
searchlight  by  which  Kelsey  followed  their 
course  until  he  knew  they  had  gone  with 
no  intention  of  making  another  attack — 
at  least  for  some  days  to  come. 

Mrs.  Kelsey  and  America  had  watched 
the  frightened  invaders  through  a  peek- 
hole  in  the  tule  wall,  similar  to  the  peek- 
hole  in  the  drop  at  the  theater  through 
which  theatrical  people  size  up  the  house, 
although  they  felt  more  like  amateurs  on 
their  first  night  as  they  get  their  first  peek- 
hole  view  of  a  crowded  house. 


6  AMERICA    KELSEY 

Kelsey  shouted  to  open  the  door,  which 
they  did,  as  the  Indians  were  engulfed  by 
the  shadows  of  the  oak  forest  far  ofL 

"A  fine  old  cannon  this/'  said  Kelsey. 

This  was  not  the  first  time  that  this 
same  cannon  had  been  used  to  frighten 
the  Indians.  If  it  could  have  told  its  story 
it  would  have  related  the  experience  two 
printers  had  with  it  when  bringing  it 
across  the  prairies.  They  were  attacked 
by  Indians,  and  having  no  shot,  filled  the 
swivel  with  the  type  they  were  bringing  to 
Yerba  Buena  (now  San  Francisco). 
Waiting  until  the  Indians  were  within 
range,  they  fired  the  gun,  filling  them  with 
type,  sending  many  to  the  happy  hunting- 
grounds  and  permitting  others  to  carry  in 
their  bodies  portions  of  editorials  that 
might  have  made  their  author  another 
Horace  Greeley. 

But  that  is  a  story  the  first  family  at 
French  Camp  did  not  know. 


CHAPTER  II. 
ENTER,  A  STRANGER. 

Life  at  the  Kelsey  mansion  was  not  an 
idle  dream.  Existence  depended  upon 
hardihood,  labor  and  faith.  A  man  need 
ed  this  happy  combination  in  this  land  in 
those  days — 1844. 

When  Gulnac  gave  David  Kelsey  the 
square  mile  of  land  he  did  not  fence  it, 
neither  did  he  clear  it  of  the  wild  vegeta 
tion  that  grew  where  the  paved  county 
highways  now  stretch  with  acres  and 
acres  of  highly  cultivated  land  and  numer 
ous  prosperous  homes  on  either  side. 
Where  now  whirls  the  auto  then  roamed 
the  bear,  antelope,  wolf  and  their  various 
fellow  creatures. 

David  Kelsey  was  a  real  pioneer.  He 
trod  the  grass  in  the  great  San  Joaquin 
valley  where  white  man  had  never  stepped 
before.  He  forced  his  way  through  tules 
that  had  been  disturbed  before  by  none 
save  the  aboriginal  natives  of  the  country 
and  the  beasts.  He  was  the  first  farmer 
of  the  French  Camp  section  and  with  dif- 


8  AMERICA    KELSEY 

ficulty  cleared  a  small  tract  of  land, 
planting  it  in  wheat.  The  grain  grew, 
rivaling  the  grass  in  its  growth.  When 
it  began  to  ripen,  birds  of  rare  plumage 
threatened  its  destruction  and  a  source  of 
great  worry  for  David  Kelsey  was  this 
field  of  grain. 

In  due  time  he  harvested  it  and  threshed 
it  after  a  crude  manner.  Boiled  wheat 
was  often  on  the  bill  of  fare  at  the  Kelsey 
home.  Mint  tea  was  made  from  the  mint 
America  gathered  along  the  banks  of  the 
creek. 

America's  life  was  close  to  nature.  Her 
mother  taught  her  her  A  B  C's;  constant 
touch  with  nature  taught  her  the  calls  of 
the  various  birds,  the  cries  of  the  wild 
beasts,  while  an  alert  eye  and  keen  ear 
served  as  protection  against  the  raids  of 
the  Indians. 

"Mother/'  she  often  asked,  "when  will 
we  meet  white  people  who  have  a  young 
girl?  I  get  so  lonesome  for  a  playmate." 

"After  we  have  lived  here  a  year,  my 
dear,"  the  mother  generally  answered. 
"We  must  stay  here  a  year  and  then  the 
land  is  ours.  After  that  father  says  we 
will  make  a  trip  to  the  settlement." 


ENTER   A    STRANGER  9 

There's  little  doubt  that  David  Kelsey's 
faithful  wife  yearned  just  as  much  for  the 
sight  of  one  of  her  sex  as  did  America  for 
a  playmate.  Day  in  and  day  out  on  the 
Kelsey  place  was  not  enticing,  even 
though  the  sky  was  blue  and  the  sunshine 
so  bright.  But  she  never  complained. 
She  had  cast  her  lot  with  her  husband  and 
what  he  underwent  she  was  willing  to 
experience. 

One  day  America  ran  into  the  hut,  her 
eyes  dancing. 

"Mother,  mother!"  she  exclaimed.  "I 
just  saw  a  man  on  the  stream." 

"Here  he  comes  now  with  father,"  in 
terjected  Mrs.  Kelsey. 

"Mother,"  said  David  Kelsey,  "this 
young  man  is  George  Wyman.  He's  been 
trapping  on  the  creek,  so  I  kinder  thought 
you  might  like  to  meet  him,  being  as  we 
have  so  little  company  in  these  parts.  He's 
quite  a  pleasant  chap.  Step  into  our  hut, 
stranger,  and  make  yourself  at  home." 

Wyman  stepped  inside,  where  he  met 
America,  whom  he  formally  introduced 
himself  to.  She  remained  close  to  her 
mother.  David  Kelsey  offered  Wyman  a 


10  AMERICA    KELSEY 

seat — an  oak  stump.  Mrs.  Kelsey  brought 
him  a  tin  cup  filled  with  boiled  wheat, 
fried  him  a  piece  of  venison  and  brewed  a 
cup  of  mint  tea,  all  of  which  the  trapper 
pronounced  the  best  dinner  he  had  had 
since  he  left  his  mother  in  the  east. 

The  Kelsey  family  was  so  famished  for 
company  that  they  insisted  that  Wyman 
stay  over  night  as  their  guest.  They  made 
him  a  bed  in  one  corner  of  the  hut,  his 
couch  consisting  of  hides.  Wyman  proved 
an  interesting  visitor  and  told  exciting 
stories  of  encounters  with  the  Indians, 
exhibiting  his  pack  of  skins  as  evidence  of 
his  prowess  as  a  trapper  and  hunter.  He 
said  beaver  abounded  on  the  creek  and 
explained  that  he  was  employed  by  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company,  whose  California 
department  was  at  Yerba  Buena. 

"What's  that  book  he  has?"  asked 
America  in  whispered  tones  as  Wyman 
removed  it  from  his  pocket. 

But  his  ears  were  attuned  to  female 
whispers  and  he  smiled  as  he  replied : 

"That's  the  Good  Book.  My  mother 
gave  it  to  me  when  I  left  home.  She  told 


ENTER   A    STRANGER  11 

me  to  read  a  chapter  every  night  no  mat 
ter  where  I  might  be." 

"Then  read  tonight's  chapter  out  loud, 
stranger/'  suggested  David  Kelsey,  and 
the  suggestion  was  carried  out,  making 
that  evening  one  of  the  most  delightful 
the  Kelseys  had  experienced  in  many 
months. 


CHAPTER  III. 

SOCIABILITY. 

The  trapper  enjoyed  the  best  breakfast 
the  Kelsey  commissary  department  was 
able  to  serve,  fastened  his  pack  on  his 
back  and  prepared  to  continue  on  his  way, 
which  was  in  the  direction  of  the  Sacra 
mento  valley. 

"Stranger,  ever  been  in  the  Sacramento 
valley  before?"  asked  Kelsey. 

Wyman  replied  that  he  had  trapped  the 
region  two  or  three  times  and  was  as 
familiar  with  the  country  as  any  other 
man.  He  described  a  great  river  that 
coursed  down  the  center  of  the  valley, 
joining  the  San  Joaquin  not  far  from 
Yerba  Buena. 

"Fine  country/'  added  Wyman.  "One 
has  to  keep  on  the  lookout  for  Indians. 
They  haven't  guns  and  keep  a  respectful 
distance  from  mine.  From  what  I  can 
figure  out  there  are  different  tribes  in  the 
valley.  They  get  into  some  serious  mix- 
ups  at  times.  The  Indian  villages  are 
numerous,  many  containing  from  50  to 
100  tepees." 

12 


SOCIABILITY  13 

"How  are  they  built?"  ventured  Amer 
ica.  It  was  one  of  the  very  few  questions 
she  had  dared  ask  of  the  stranger. 

"They  build  them  with  poles  and  rushes. 
Make  cozy  homes  for  the  Red  Men  and 
their  families.  These  huts  present  quite  a 
sight  in  the  springtime.  The  Indians  are 
good  fishermen  and  they  dry  the  salmon 
on  the  sides  of  the  tepees.  When  the  sun 
hits  the  red  fish  you  can  spot  'em  for  a 
long  ways." 

Wyman  shook  hands  with  all  the  Kel- 
seys,  thanking  the  family  profusely  and 
in  an  offhand  manner  remarked  that  he 
had  left  a  couple  of  hides  for  the  young 
lady,  this  intelligence  apparently  meeting 
with  her  complete  satisfaction,  judging 
from  the  pleased  expression  that  bright 
ened  her  countenance. 

"By  the  way,  stranger,"  said  Kelsey, 
"if  you  see  a  cub  bar  down  the  trail 
a  ways,  don't  shoot  it.  It  belongs  to  the 
daughter.  Captured  it  with  the  old 
mother  in  a  log  trap  a  few  months  ago. 
Set  the  trap  with  fish  entrails  after  they 
had  got  good  and  strong.  Lord,  man,  you 
could  smell  them  a  mile.  Next  morning  I 
went  down  to  the  trap  and  thar  was  a 
whopping  big  bar  inside  it.  'Twas  early 


14  AMERICA    KELSEY 

in  the  morning  and  not  very  light.  Sez  I 
to  myself,  'thar's  something  on  top  that 
trap/  Taking  aim,  I  fired.  Lawsy,  wish 
you  could  of  seen  that  animal  leap  into  the 
air !  But  I  had  hit  him  in  a  vital  spot  and 
he  fell  on  the  ground  dead  as  a  doornail. 
I  ludded  my  old  trusty  before  proceedin' 
any  further  as  I  ain't  taking  any  chances 
with  a  wounded  critter.  As  I  got  closer  I 
seez  that  I  had  shot  the  biggest  wildcat 
I  ever  saw  in  this  country.  That's  his 
hide  on  the  floor  of  the  cabin. 

"Inside  that  trap  was  the  old  mother 
bar  furious  as  the  wildcat  had  been  before 
he  collided  with  the  bullet.  I  put  the  gun 
between  the  bars  and  ended  her  career. 
Peering  inside,  I  saw  something  move.  It 
was  the  cub  I  just  spoke  about.  I  cap 
tured  the  little  fellow  and  have  it  corraled 
down  the  trail  a  ways.  It's  getting  tamer 
every  day.  Won't  let  anyone  feed  it,  'cept 
daughter,  so  we  call  it  her  bar,  which  it  is. 
Good-by,  stranger.  Glad  you  stopped 
over.  Company  is  so  scarce  in  these 
parts." 

"Good-by,  you  all,"  replied  Wyman  as 
he  proceeded  on  his  journey  from  the  San 
Joaquin  to  the  Sacramento  valley,  won 
dering  whether  he  would  meet  the  KelseyvS 
again. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A  TALE  OF  A  TAIL. 

David  Kelsey  had  had  no  little  experi 
ence  with  Indians  himself.  He  had 
learned  many  of  their  peculiarities,  partly 
by  observation  and  partly  from  stories 
just  such  as  Wyman  had  narrated.  He 
enjoyed  telling  stories  of  the  hunt  and 
tales  of  adventure  with  the  Red  Men,  and 
had  entertained  both  his  faithful  wife  and 
pretty  daughter  on  the  long  winter  nights 
with  his  narratives.  There  was  one  he 
always  enjoyed  and  he  no  doubt  regretted 
that  he  had  not  unwound  it  on  the 
stranger.  It  struck  his  vein  of  humor  and 
many  was  the  hearty  laugh  he  had  as  he 
told  this  story — a  tale  tough  on  the  par 
ticular  creature  involved,  a  tale  of  a  tail. 

It  seems  a  trapper  had  a  dog  that  had 
a  reputation  as  a  hunter.  This  canine,  a 
stub-tailed  dog,  caught  more  squirrels, 
mink  and  other  small  animals  in  a  week 
than  the  average  dog  did  in  a  month.  He 
was  a  natural-born  hunter  and  his  master 
prided  him  much  for  his  ability  along 
those  lines. 

15 


16  AMERICA    KELSEY 

There  was  an  Indian,  one  who  had  been 
tamed  by  the  good  Fathers  who  first  pene 
trated  into  their  haunts,  who  also  had  a 
dog.  This  particular  dog  had  a  long  tail. 
The  Indian  had  seen  the  stub-tail  dog 
bring  in  his  game  and  had  tried  to  teach 
his  dog  to  do  likewise,  but  with  little 
success. 

In  despair  he  approached  the  white 
man,  and  in  poor  English  asked  him  why 
his  dog  was  such  a  good  hunter. 

"That's  because  he  has  a  short  tail," 
replied  the  white  man. 

"Make  em  mine  hunt?"  asked  the 
Indian. 

"Sure,"  replied  the  white  man. 

The  latter  procured  an  ax  and  gave  it 
to  the  Indian,  explaining  that  he  would 
hold  the  dog  over  a  stump.  He  held  the 
dog's  tail  over  the  stump  and  signaled  to 
the  Indian  to  drop  his  guillotine.  Just  as 
the  owner  of  the  dog  started  to  perform 
the  operation,  the  white  man  gave  the  dog 
a  shove  and  the  poor  brute  was  chopped 
in  two. 

"Huh,"  grunted  the  Indian.  "Heap  cut 
em  too  much  short."  With  a  look  of  dis 
gust  he  walked  away. 


A    TALE    OF   A    TAIL  17 

Kelsey  had  seen  the  Indians  when  they 
were  stricken  with  a  fever  that  killed  them 
by  the  score.  Their  treatment  for  the  sick 
was  almost  sure  death.  They  dug  a  hole 
large  enough  to  accommodate  a  number 
of  the  afflicted  and  covered  it  over  with 
soil,  leaving  a  small  aperture  at  the  top 
through  which  the  sick  were  crowded.  A 
hot  fire  was  then  built  within  and  the  aper 
ture  closed,  leaving  the  sufferers  to  roast. 
Immediately  after  being  baked,  the  sick 
were  taken  out  and  dropped  into  a  cold 
stream.  This  sudden  shock  sent  many  on 
their  way  to  the  happy  hunting  grounds. 


Indian  tradition  ran  that  during  the 
summer  the  valleys  experienced  periodical 
showers  of  rain,  accompanied  by  thunder 
and  lightning,  prior  to  the  time  the  white 
man  intruded  upon  their  domain.  After 
that  the  Great  Spirit  showed  his  displeas 
ure  at  the  coming  of  the  white  men  by 
withholding  the  rains,  his  plan  being  to 
drive  them  out  because  of  the  lack  of  the 
moisture.  When  the  whites  left  he  would 
bring  the  rain  again.  Another  tradition 
was  that  a  great  flood  once  swept  the  val 
ley,  being  further  evidence  of  the  Great 
Spirit's  displeasure. 


18  AMERICA    KELSEY 

Indeed,  the  Kelseys  knew  by  practical 
experience  what  floods  meant.  While  the 
great  valley  in  which  they  lived  was  a 
paradise  in  spring,  delightful  in  summer 
and  heaven  compared  with  blizzards  and 
cyclonic  storms  they  had  experienced  with 
winters  in  the  states,  one  particular  winter 
season  had  proved  most  distasteful  from 
the  standpoint  of  water.  It  rained  hard  in 
December,  January  and  half  of  February 
— not  every  day,  but  sufficient  to  keep  the 
ground  water-soaked.  In  the  beautiful 
hills  in  the  east — hills  that  had  a  hidden 
secret  to  be  exposed  a  few  years  later  that 
would  draw  men  from  all  points  of  the 
globe  as  a  magnet  draws  fine  pieces  of 
steel — snow  had  fallen  heavily.  On  the 
few  clear  days  the  Kelseys  experienced 
that  winter  they  could  see  the  peaks  of  the 
hills  snowcapped  and  set  in  a  background 
of  azure  blue.  America  climbed  the  tall 
est  oak  and  for  hours  gazed  at  the  won 
derful  sight.  She  loved  nature  and  none 
of  nature's  beauties  escaped  her  quick 
eyes,  even  to  Wyman's  curly  locks. 

A  warm  spell  followed  these  weeks  of 
rain  and  one  morning  America,  while 
walking  along  the  bank  of  the  creek,  ob 
served  the  water  more  than  usual.  It  was 


A    TALE    OF   A   TAIL  19 

of  a  muddy  color,  much  like  clay,  and 
pieces  of  driftwood,  branches  of  trees,  etc., 
floated  down.  She  called  them  her  boats. 
In  places  the  water  had  spread  beyond  the 
banks  of  the  stream,  forming  miniature 
lakes. 

Upon  her  return  home  she  told  her  par 
ents  of  her  observations. 

"You  don't  think,  father,"  asked  Mrs. 
Kelsey,  "that  there  could  be  any  danger 
of  the  water  reaching  our  cabin?" 

David  Kelsey  spoke  reassuringly,  but 
said  he  thought  he  would  take  a  look  at 
the  stream  himself.  He  soon  returned. 

"Mother,  we  better  be  moving  to  that 
high  ground  yonder.  I  don't  like  the  looks 
of  things  here.  The  water  is  rising  rap 
idly  and  I'm  afraid  this  warm  spell  is 
melting  the  snow." 

So  the  three  Kelseys  packed  their  few 
belongings  to  the  highland,  piled  up  what 
wood  they  were  able  to  gather  and  waited 
the  oncoming  of  the  waters.  They  waited 
but  a  short  time,  as  the  waters  rose  with 
wonderful  rapidity,  stretching  out  over 
the  land  in  all  directions.  As  far  as  their 


20  AMERICA    KELSEY 

eyes  could  see  in  the  east  was  water — one 
great  sea.  It  was  a  terrifying  sight,  yet 
fascinating.  As  the  water  crept  closer  to 
the  highland  America  lost  her  interest  in 
the  sight,  and  cuddled  close  to  her  mother. 
David  Kelsey,  accustomed  as  he  was  to 
trials  and  dangers,  could  not  refrain  from 
showing  his  worry.  He  did  not  fear  for 
himself,  but  all  he  had  in  the  world — his 
faithful  wife  and  daughter — were  in 
grave  danger.  He  knew  not  how  high  the 
water  would  come,  nor  how  long  it  would 
remain  on  the  land. 

He  stuck  a  small  branch  at  the  edge  of 
the  water  and  kept  close  watch  on  the 
same.  Finally  he  told  his  wife  that  the 
water  was  at  a  standstill.  He  said  he  felt 
the  worst  had  passed  and  that  they  would 
be  safe. 

It  was  a  long  night  they  spent  on  their 
enforced  island  home  and  anything  but 
an  agreeable  one.  The  wind  came  up  and 
blew  cold  blasts  across  this  newly  made 
sea.  The  three  huddled  around  the  camp- 
fire,  wrapping  themselves  in  their  hides. 

The  break  of  day  rang  up  the  curtain 
on  a  scene  of  desolation.  The  water  had 
subsided  to  a  point  below  the  sad  remains 


A    TALE    OF    A    TAIL  21 

of  their  tule  hut  and  everywhere  was 
debris,  while  the  ground  was  covered  with 
yellow  slime. 

But  David  Kelsey  was  undaunted  and 
was  soon  at  his  task  of  rebuilding  his 
home.  It  was  discouraging  work,  but  by 
evening  he  had  a  home  that  kept  out  the 
wind  and  afforded  some  shelter  to  his 
wornout  wife  and  daughter.  It  was  an 
experience  that  tried  their  nerves,  one  that 
brought  home  the  ordeals  of  pioneering 
in  a  land  that  today  has  everything  civil 
ized  man  could  desire. 


CHAPTER  V. 

JOSE:  JESUS. 

While  the  majority  of  the  Indians  re 
sisted  the  attempts  of  the  Spanish  Fathers 
to  civilize  them,  having  desired  to  follow 
their  natural  inclinations  from  the  time 
the  good  Father  Crespi,  the  first  white 
man  to  behold  the  waters  of  San  Fran 
cisco  Bay,  attempted  to  do  so,  Jose  Jesus, 
being  a  leader  among  his  people,  sub 
mitted  to  the  teachings  of  the  mission 
fathers.  He  developed  a  remarkable  con 
ception  of  the  ideas  and  ideals  of  the  white 
man.  He  even  went  so  far  the  white 
man's  way  as  to  become  an  alcalde  at  San 
Jose. 

Some  of  the  fathers  used  forcible  means 
of  making  the  Indians  adopt  civilized 
ways.  They  threw  military  forces  into 
the  Indians'  quarters,  captured  a  number 
of  them  and  took  them  to  the  missions  for 
the  good  of  their  souls.  One  of  the  ex 
peditions  lost  34  men  in  a  battle  on  the 
Stanislaus  river.  They  made  a  second 

22 


JOSE   JESUS  23 

attempt,  losing  41  more,  but  succeeded  in 
capturing  two  score  and  four  Indians, 
mostly  women  and  children.  Chief  Es- 
tanislao,  in  whose  honor  the  Stanislaus 
river  obtained  its  name,  defeated  the 
Spanish  forces,  but  died  shortly  after. 

It  was  Estanislao  whom  Jose  Jesus  suc 
ceeded.  Jose  could  not  resist  the  call  of  his 
youth,  and,  like  the  college  bred  Indian 
who  discarded  his  tailor-made  suit  for  a 
blanket,  went  back  to  his  people.  He  was 
received  with  open  arms,  declared  their 
chief  and  became  the  hero  of  the  hour. 
For  three  days  the  tribe  feasted  and  made 
merry,  their  Indian  dances  having  been 
rare  exhibitions  of  the  terpsichorean  art. 
The  Maxixe  and  bunny  hug  would  have 
been  compelled  to  take  back  stage  for  the 
performances  the  Red  Men  gave.  Their 
stage  setting  consisted  of  a  green  pasture, 
sprinkled  with  the  most  beautiful  golden 
flowers,  a  flower  which  later  became  the 
symbol  of  state,  stately  oaks  whose 
branches  shaded  the  greater  portion  of  an 
acre  forming  the  background.  Their 
dancing  costumes  were  wonderful  crea 
tions,  there  being  absolutely  no  question 
as  to  the  fact  that  they  were  made  in 
U.  S.  A.  They  were  distinctly  American 


24  AMERICA    KELSEY 

products  as  they  were  manufactured  by 
the  original  American  himself.  And  the 
most  elaborately  painted  actress  of  the 
present-day  vaudeville  stage  would  have 
been  put  to  shame  with  the  coloring 
scheme  these  natives  of  California  adopt 
ed.  There  were  no  delicate  shades — the 
bright  crimson,  stern  black  and  glaring 
yellow  having  been  used  without  any 
softening.  The  effect  was  marked  (the 
marking  being  principally  over  their  faces 
and  arms). 

Jose  told  his  people  that  they  had  been 
mistreated  and  that  the  padres  had 
wronged  them  when  they  deprived  them 
of  the  herds  they  had  assisted  the  fathers 
to  accumulate.  He  proposed  that  they 
raid  the  missions  and  drive  back  to  their 
rancheria,  which  marked  the  present  site 
of  Knights  Ferry,  the  herds  of  cattle. 

The  plan  met  with  the  hearty  approval 
of  the  Siyakumna  tribesmen  and  elaborate 
plans  were  made  for  the  first  of  a  series  of 
foraging  expeditions  that  raised  havoc 
with  the  missionaries. 

There  was  one  serious  difficulty  in  the 
contemplated  raids  and  that  was  the  dan 
ger  of  a  conflict  with  the  Yachekos.  The 


JOSE   JESUS  25 

Siyakumna's  territory  extended  from  the 
Stanislaus  river  to  the  French  Camp 
creek,  but  they  seldom  came  down  as  far 
as  the  Kelsey  place,  because  there  was 
grave  danger  of  running  amuck  with  the 
Yachekos.  They  had  had  mixups  with 
this  tribe  and  were  not  looking  for  further 
trouble,  unless  as  a  matter  of  absolute 
necessity.  The  Yachekos  considered  the 
Calaveras  river  their  northern  boundary, 
but  came  down  as  far  as  the  Kelsey  place, 
the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Stockton 
marking  their  southern  boundary. 

Jose's  education,  coupled  with  his  nat 
ural  knowledge,  made  him  a  great  chief. 
He  took  the  precaution  of  sending  spies 
into  the  Yacheko  territory.  It  was  several 
days  before  they  returned.  They  told 
startling  stories  of  the  strength  of  the 
Calaveras  tribe,  stating  that  they  were 
about  equal  in  number  to  the  Siyakumnas 
and  as  well  armed,  judging  from  their 
rather  distant  observations.  Once  the 
spies  came  very  nearly  being  captured,  a 
party  of  the  enemy  having  passed  within 
a  few  feet  of  their  hiding  place.  They 
had  to  remain  in  the  brush  until  dark  and 
then  hastily  sneak  out  to  where  their 
ponies  were  hidden. 


26  AMERICA    KELSEY 

Jose  called  the  Indian  medicine  men, 
and  after  due  religious  ceremony,  pro 
ceeded  on  the  march  toward  the  Calaveras 
stronghold.  He  realized  that  in  order  to 
carry  out  his  raids  successfully  he  would 
first  have  to  subdue  the  Yachekos,  and 
that  was  what  he  had  decided  to  do.  He 
had  his  plans  mapped  out  to  the  smallest 
detail.  He  did  not  intend  to  throw  his 
entire  forces  upon  the  Yachekos  in  a 
massed  formation.  He  had  a  better  plan. 
He  intended  to  divide  his  forces  when 
within  a  few  miles  of  the  Yachekos'  terri 
tory,  send  one  north  and  wait  until  it 
had  had  time  to  get  as  far  the  other  side 
of  the  enemy's  camp  as  his  division  was. 
He  estimated  the  time  it  would  take  for 
the  second  division  to  accomplish  this  feat 
and  set  the  hour  for  the  attack.  At  first 
he  decided  to  make  the  assault  at  night, 
but  not  knowing  the  country  well  enough, 
deemed  it  better  judgment  to  do  so  at 
break  of  day.  He  sent  one  of  his  best 
braves  in  charge  of  the  second  division 
and  made  camp,  waiting  until  the  hour 
set  for  the  battle. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A  JOURNEY  BEGUN. 

The  flood  that  wrecked  the  Kelsey 
home  made  life  even  harder  than  before 
and  the  battle  for  existence  taxed  David 
Kelsey  to  the  utmost.  Boiled  wheat  is  not 
a  rare  delicacy  and  Mrs.  Kelsey  found  the 
utter  lack  of  household  equipment  a  bur 
den  that  made  her  part  of  the  pioneering 
anything  but  interesting.  America  was 
growing  and  her  clothing  was  far  from 
being  adequate.  With  affairs  in  this  con 
dition,  David  Kelsey,  after  turning  the 
question  over  in  his  mind  time  and  again, 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  would  have 
to  visit  Captain  Sutter  and  secure  the  few 
necessities  of  life  that  drew  the  line  be 
tween  the  white  man's  mode  of  living  and 
that  of  the  barbarian. 

He  did  not  relish  the  trip  and  he  dis 
liked  breaking  the  news  to  his  wife,  but 
one  evening  made  the  suggestion  that  they 
go.  He  expected  opposition  on  her  part, 
but  to  his  surprise  found  that  she  was 
quite  willing — even  enthusiastic.  America 

27 


28  AMERICA    KELSEY 

grasped  the  situation  in  an  instant  and 
jumping  for  joy,  cried  aloud:  "Oh, 
goodie,  goodie.  We  shall  see  white  peo 
ple." 

David  Kelsey  then  saw  why  the  "ladies 
of  the  house"  were  enthusiastic  over  the 
suggestion  he  feared  they  would  oppose, 
the  cause  of  the  anticipated  opposition 
being  the  danger  of  meeting  the  Yacheko 
Indians.  The  idea  of  meeting  white  peo 
ple,  however,  loomed  up  before  the  mother 
and  her  daughter,  outweighing  any  fear 
they  might  have  had.  So  anxious  they 
were  to  see  someone  that  dangers  of  such 
a  trip  were  for  the  moment  absolutely  for 
gotten.  Month  in  and  month  out  on  the 
French  Camp  creek  with  only  one  visitor 
grew  mighty  monotonous.  Robinson 
Crusoe  had  little  on  the  Kelseys  when  it 
came  to  lonesomeness.  Mother  enter 
tained  daughter  and  at  night  David 
Kelsey  entertained  both,  but  even  at  that 
one  yearns  for  the  company  of  others  than 
the  members  of  his  family. 

The  plans  for  the  journey  were  care 
fully  made.  They  were  the  all-absorbing 
topic  of  the  evenings  and  at  meal  time. 
As  the  trip  was  quite  a  distance  and  would 
take  several  days  it  would  be  necessary 


A   JOURNEY    BEGUN  29 

for  both  Mrs.  Kelsey  and  America  to 
carry  a  portion  of  the  camping  equipment, 
little  as  it  was.  Kelsey  had  an  old  rifle — 
part  of  the  equipment  absolutely  neces 
sary. 

They  agreed  to  start  early  in  the  morn 
ing,  enabling  them  to  make  good  headway 
before  the  day  grew  old.  The  father  of 
the  household  made  packing  sacks  out  of 
hides  for  the  purpose  of  relieving  the 
burden  each  was  to  carry. 

All  preparations  complete,  they  hid  the 
old  cannon  and  struck  out  for  Captain 
Butter's  headquarters  on  the  Sacramento 
river.  The  first  few  miles  of  their  journey 
took  them  over  a  pretty  stretch  of  country, 
slight  difficulty  being  experienced  in  cross 
ing  a  stream  that  gained  the  name  a 
few  years  later  of  Mormon  channel  be 
cause  of  the  fact  that  a  party  of  Mormons 
camped  at  its  mouth.  It  was  one  of  the 
streams  that  gave  a  city  yet  to  be,  the 
nickname  "Slough  City/'  a  name  that  the 
inhabitants  did  not  relish.  That  there 
was  to  be  a  city  there  some  day,  a  city 
that  would  be  the  gateway  to  the  great 
San  Joaquin  valley,  never  occurred  to  the 
Kelsey  family.  The  part  that  particular 
section  was  to  play  in  the  life  of  the  Kel- 


30  AMERICA    KELSEY 

seys  was  also  something  they  had  no 
knowledge  of.  Their  future  had  not  been 
prophesied — perhaps  much  the  better  for 
them  all. 

They  experienced  a  little  difficulty  cross 
ing  the  stream.  The  water  had  subsided, 
leaving  sandy  islands,  which  did  not  sup 
port  their  weight  without  first  engulf 
ing  deeply  their  moccasins.  Disagree 
able  as  it  was,  all  three  had  to  ford  the 
stream.  They  proceeded  about  a  mile 
beyond  the  waterway,  where  the  father 
made  a  campfire  in  order  to  dry  out  their 
clothing.  He  thought  the  surroundings 
enticing  and  deemed  it  advisable  to  stay 
overnight  there.  He  didn't  put  the  sug 
gestion  in  those  words,  but  expressed  him 
self  to  that  effect.  He  had  a  more  import 
ant  reason  than  announced  for  camping 
there.  He  feared  he  might  run  amuck 
with  the  Yachekos  and  decided  it  would 
be  better  to  pass  their  neighborhood  before 
daybreak.  Kelsey  had  been  told  the 
Indians  camped  somewhere  near  the  river 
that  was  north  of  the  stream  he  had 
crossed.  They  often  came  down  as  far  as 
his  camp,  so  he  was  on  the  lookout  for 
them  at  most  any  part  of  the  journey. 

He  did  not  tell  his  wife  and  daughter. 
The  trip  was  difficult  enough  and  he  did 


A   JOURNEY    BEGUN  31 

not  care  to  burden  them  with  worries  con 
cerning  a  possible  collision  with  the 
Indians.  David  Kelsey  always  gave  first 
thought  for  the  safety  of  his  wife  and 
daughter.  Everything  he  did  was  for 
their  sake.  To  give  a  little  happiness,  pro 
vide  a  little  amusement  for  the  two  dearest 
to  his  heart  was  the  constant  aim  of  this 
man.  His  task  was  at  times  a  difficult  one, 
because  there  were  no  "pretties"  from  the 
stores  that  he  could  buy.  A  cheerful  dis 
position  and  a  fatherly  caress  were  all  he 
could  offer,  yet  they  meant  so  much  for 
Mrs.  Kelsey  and  America. 

"Father,"  asked  America  after  they  had 
partaken  of  their  lunch,  "will  we  start 
before  sunrise?" 

"Guess  we  had  better,  little  un,"  he  re 
plied.  "You'll  have  to  go  without  your 
beauty  sleep  tomorrow.  You've  got  beauty 
to  spare,  though.  Look  just  like  your 
mother.  Your  hair  is  getting  much  like 
the  golden  flowers  that  grow  around  our 
cabin." 

The  first  lap  of  their  trip  had  tired  them 
and  the  few  hours  they  remained  at  their 
camp  served  to  rest  them  for  the  trials  of 
the  next  day. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

AS  THEY  WITNESSED  IT. 

The  sun  had  not  yet  shown  his  face  in 
the  east  when  the  Kelseys,  their  packs  on 
their  backs,  were  well  on  their  way 
northward.  At  times  Kelsey  feared  he 
might  lose  the  general  direction  he  was 
bound  for.  He  had  had  such  experiences, 
having  walked  for  days  only  to  find  that 
he  had  executed  a  complete  circle,  arriving 
at  the  point  in  the  circumference  from 
which  he  had  started. 

They  were  not  far  from  the  river,  he 
judged,  when  America,  who  was  always 
seeing  some  of  nature's  wonders,  called 
her  parents'  attention  to  a  monstrous  oak, 
under  whose  branches  they  were  then 
passing. 

"  'Tis  a  whopping  big  tree,"  acknowl 
edged  the  father  as  he  rested  his  pack 
against  it  and  peered  into  the  deep  foliage 
that  marked  its  great  branches. 

He  had  barely  made  the  remark  when 
the  tread  of  horses'  hoofs  broke  the  seren- 
32 


AS    THEY   WITNESSED    IT  33 

ity  of  the  scene.  Both  Mrs.  Kelsey  and 
America  caught  the  sound.  In  an  instant 
Kelsey  beckoned  to  the  two  to  drop  upon 
the  ground,  doing  the  same  himself. 
Slowly  they  crawled  around  the  base  of 
the  great  oak,  endeavoring  to  keep  from 
view  of  the  approaching  horsemen. 

A  few  minutes  brought  the  riders  with 
in  better  range  of  the  Kelsey  family's 
vision  and  it  was  plain  to  them  that  it  was 
a  tribe  of  Indians,  all  of  whom  were  in 
their  war  paint.  They  were  riding  at 
break-neck  speed,  lying  on  the  ponies' 
necks.  It  seemed  to  America  that  her 
heart  was  going  to  jump  right  out,  so  hard 
did  it  beat.  She  caught  a  glance  from  her 
mother,  who  was  deathly  white.  A  look 
of  horror  marked  the  countenance  of  her 
father,  whose  hands  tightly  gripped  his 
rifle. 

On  came  the  Indians,  until  it  seemed  as 
though  they  were  riding  right  at  them. 
When  Kelsey  had  decided  that  there  was 
absolutely  no  hope  of  escaping  them,  he 
was  relieved  to  see  the  leader,  a  man  over 
six  feet  tall  and  of  great  physique,  turn 
toward  the  west.  Kelsey  watched  him, 
then  glanced  in  the  direction  in  which  he 
was  going  and  to  his  further  amazement 


34  AMERICA    KELSEY 

saw  by  the  aid  of  the  sun's  first  rays,  an 
Indian  village.  There  was  no  activity  at 
the  village. 

"Why  are  they  riding  at  such  a  mad 
pace  if  they  are  returning  to  their  tepees  ?" 
asked  Kelsey  to  himself.  "They  ride  like 
they  are  after  somebody's  scalp/' 

The  question  was  answered  by  the  scene 
that  next  met  his  gaze.  He  observed  sud 
den  activity  at  the  camp.  Shadows  moved 
here  and  there,  increasing  in  number  until 
it  was  clear  to  Kelsey  that  the  Indians  in 
the  village  had  been  apprised  of  the  com 
ing  storm. 

"Gosh,"  exclaimed  Kelsey,  "sure  as 
we're  here,  it's  an  Injun  scrap.  I've  heard 
that  the  Yachekos  and  that  fellow  Jose's 
tribe  were  deadly  enemies.  I'll  bet  that 
they  are  at  it.  Lawsy,  it  will  be  some 
clash.  If  we  were  only  safe,  I'd  give  a 
whole  lot  to  see  those  red  devils  go  to  it. 
Keep  still,  both  of  ye.  Perhaps  the  good 
Lord  will  save  us.  If  they  get  interested 
enough  in  their  own  troubles  they  may 
overlook  us.  As  long  as  the  invaders  win, 
our  chances  are  good,  but  if  the  Yachekos 
drive  them  back  they  are  bound  to  fall  on 


us." 


AS    THEY    WITNESSED    IT  35 

Kelsey  had  figured  it  out  right;  it  was 
Jose's  attack  on  the  Yachekos  that  he  and 
his  wife  and  daughter  were  witnessing. 
What  a  scene  was  to  follow !  Surely  here 
was  something  that  would  remain  in  the 
memory  of  America  if  she  lived  a  hundred 
years.  How  could  she  forget  it ! 

Jose's  coup  did  not  mature  just  as  he  had 
planned.  He  expected  to  catch  the  Yache 
kos  napping — more  properly  expressing  it 
we'll  say  sleeping,  but  some  one  had  been 
awake  and  either  heard  or  saw  the  enemy. 
The  alarm  was  quickly  given  and  before 
Jose's  warriors  reached  the  camp  the 
Yachekos  were  armed  and  astride  their 
ponies.  They  did  not  drive  toward  the 
enemy,  but  stringing  out  toward  the  south, 
attempted  to  encircle  the  invaders.  Jose 
was  too  quick  to  be  caught  in  such  a  trap 
and  his  men  broke  from  their  massed  for 
mation,  forming  a  fairly  straight  line  that 
made  a  diameter  of  the  semi-circle  they 
forced  the  Yachekos  to  assume. 

The  clash  came  quickly.  It  seemed  like 
a  flash  to  the  Kelseys.  As  the  warriors 
got  within  range  of  one  another  they  filled 
the  air  with  their  yells,  sending  chills 
down  America's  back.  Arrows  flew  and 
numerous  were  the  marks  thev  found. 


36  AMERICA    KELSEY 

The  Yachekos,  however,  made  a  fierce 
fight.  They  were  stubborn  warriors  and 
Jose  found  he  had  his  hands  full.  For  a 
time  things  looked  discouraging  to  him. 
Something  had  gone  wrong.  Plans  as  he 
had  arranged  them  called  for  the  arrival 
of  the  second  division  of  his  forces  at  this 
point.  Where  were  they?  Why  had  they 
failed  him?  Unless  they  came  soon  it 
meant  probable  defeat  of  his  forces,  as 
they  were  outnumbered,  and  possible  an 
nihilation.  His  men  fought  like  the  sav 
ages  they  were.  Tomahawks  swung  right 
and  left,  their  blows  resulting  in  awful 
carnage. 

Screams  rent  the  air  and  poor  little 
America  hid  her  head  on  her  mother's 
breast,  weeping  hysterically. 

"Hush/'  admonished  the  father,  as 
though  the  cries  of  his  frightened  off 
spring  could  attract  the  attention  of  the 
savages  engaged  in  their  deadly  combat. 

The  Yachekos  retreated  when  the  battle 
was  at  its  height,  again  trying  to  encircle 
the  attacking  Red  Men.  This  time  it  was 
difficult  for  Jose's  warriors  to  form  a  bat 
tle  line.  Their  ranks  had  been  thinned  con 
siderably  and  it  was  hard  to  reform  under 


AS    THEY    WITNESSED    IT  37 

the  circumstances.  However,  they  man 
aged  to  prevent  the  Yachekos  from  carry 
ing  out  their  tactics  a  second  time,  but  it 
was  evident  to  David  Kelsey  that  Jose's 
chances  of  winning  or  even  saving  his 
forces  from  entire  destruction,  were  grow 
ing  slighter  as  the  fight  continued. 

It  also  appeared  to  Kelsey  that  the 
Yacheko  semi-circle  was  growing  and 
growing  in  the  direction  of  his  refuge. 
Mrs.  Kelsey  likewise  saw  this. 

"David,"  she  cried,  "they're  coming  this 
way.  Oh,  what  will  we  do,  what  will  we 
do?" 

"Lie  still,"  he  replied.  "Don't  move  a 
muscle." 

Jose  was  being  forced  back  and  he  was 
retreating  in  a  southeasterly  direction, 
which  was  bringing  him  toward  the  big 
oak,  behind  which  the  three  Kelseys  lay, 
trusting  in  God. 

Jose  rode  at  breakneck  speed  to  the  head 
of  the  line  and  was  nearest  the  big  oak 
tree  when  one  of  the  Yachekos,  who  was 
at  the  extreme  end  of  the  semi-circle,  saw 
the  three  Kelseys  lying  at  the  base  of  the 
tree.  The  Red  Man  stopped  for  a  second 
as  though  stunned.  Apparently,  he  could 
not  realize  the  sight  that  met  his  gaze. 


38  AMERICA    KELSEY 

He  shouted  to  two  of  his  companions  and 
pointed  toward  the  big  oak.  The  trio 
seemed  to  forget  the  enemy  was  at  hand; 
they  seemed  to  overlook  the  danger  of  be 
ing  struck  down  by  an  arrow.  Kelsey  had 
endeavored  to  crawl  further  around  the 
tree  and  it  was  his  moving  that  first  at 
tracted  the  attention  of  the  Indian. 

Jose  himself  saw  the  three  stop  and  was 
puzzled  as  to  the  cause  of  their  actions. 
He  wondered  what  their  ruse  was.  He 
had  ridden  so  fast  he  was  not  more  than 
100  yards  from  the  tree.  The  three 
Yachekos  soon  reached  a  decision.  They 
intended  to  dispatch  the  man  and  capture 
the  women.  Turning  their  ponies  in  the 
direction  of  the  tree,  they  started  on  their 
way  again. 

"Lie  low,"  shouted  Kelsey  as  he  took 
a  bead  on  the  foremost  of  the  three. 
"Don't  run  as  they  will  be  bound  to  shoot 
you.  Don't  cry,  America;  there  is  still  a 
chance.  That's  the  brave  girl  you  are." 

He  waited  until  they  got  within  good 
range  and  then  fired.  The  leader  fell  off 
his  horse;  the  bullet  had  gone  true.  The 
two  others  seemed  stupefied.  The  sound 


AS    THEY   WITNESSED    IT  39 

of  the  gun  was  audible  even  over  the  din 
of  the  yelling  and  the  cries  of  the  wound 
ed.  The  smoke  of  the  gun  added  to  their 
fears.  They  had  had  experiences  with  the 
cannon  and,  although  they  did  not  possess 
firearms,  had  a  most  wholesome  respect 
for  the  same.  Jose  was  dumfounded,  but 
a  scene  on  the  other  side  of  the  enemy's 
line  first  gave  him  great  cause  for  alarm. 
He  feared  the  Yachekos  were  bringing  up 
reinforcements.  This  would  mean  his 
ruination.  He  was  in  a  bad  fix  as  it  was 
and  fresh  warriors  would  give  the  Yache 
kos  encouragement  and  dishearten  his 
men. 

He  watched  them  as  they  came  on,  sud 
denly  appreciating  his  mistaken  cause  for 
alarm.  It  was  his  own  men — the  delayed 
division  he  had  expected  at  the  beginning 
of  the  battle. 

They  struck  the  Yachekos  from  the 
rear,  raising  havoc  with  them.  The  sight 
inspired  Jose's  retreating  forces  and  they 
turned  and  made  a  renewed  attack.  The 
Yachekos  fought  gamely,  but  the  odds 
were  against  them.  They  were  slaugh 
tered  in  great  numbers,  perhaps  the  larg 
est  number  meeting  their  death  upon  the 


40  AMERICA    KELSEY 

banks  of  the  river.  Their  skulls  were 
unearthed  some  years  later,  thereby  giv 
ing  the  river  its  name,  the  name  it  bears 
today — the  Calaveras,  meaning  skull. 

The  Yachekos  finally  dispersed,  the 
enemy  pursuing  them  far  to  the  north. 
The  day  was  won.  And  the  Kelseys . 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
FROM  FRYING  PAN  INTO  THE  FIRE. 

As  the  chase  of  the  Red  Men  continued, 
and  the  distance  between  them  and  the 
Kelseys  increased,  in  like  proportion  in 
creased  the  whispering  weeping  of  Amer 
ica  until  finally  she  was  crying  aloud. 

"Poor  little  girl/'  said  her  father.  "You 
are  so  frightened.  Your  old  dad  isn't 
having  any  picnic,  either." 

Caressing  his  wife,  he  said  to  her,  pos 
sibly  wondering  whether  the  little  family 
was  together  for  the  last  time : 

"A  brave  mother,  ye  are,  and  there's 
much  you  have  undergone,  but  this  is  the 
worst  yet.  We  put  our  trust  in  the  good 
Lord.  He  has  helped  us  out  of  other 
scrapes  and  we  aren't  giving  up  yet." 

"Yes,  father,"  replied  Mrs.  Kelsey. 
"What  is  best  for  us  to  do?  Hadn't  we 
better  try  to  get  away  ?  They'll  not  forget 
our  hiding  place  and  when  the  fight  is  over 
they'll  come  after  us." 

41 


42  AMERICA    KELSEY 

"That's  true,"  he  admitted.  "Yet  if  we 
leave  we  may  miss  the  refuge  this  tree 
gives  us." 

"Let's  go,  father,"  cried  America. 
"Let's  go  quick." 

Kelsey  raised  himself  to  a  crouching 
posture  and  endeavored  to  view  the  situ 
ation.  The  Indians  were  far  off.  There 
appeared  to  be  none  within  close  range. 
He  hastily  took  in  the  lay  of  the  land. 
There  was  a  cluster  of  oaks  not  far  away. 
Why  not  make  a  dash  for  the  forest? 

"Come,"  he  ordered.  "Crawl  as  close 
to  the  ground  as  possible.  Follow  me." 

The  grass  grew  in  abundance  and  made 
it  quite  possible  for  them  to  reach  the  trees 
without  being  seen.  There  were  spots 
where  skirmishes  had  taken  place  and 
there  the  grass  was  stamped  down.  Here 
and  there  they  ran  across  arrows,  evidence 
of  the  terrific  battle  that  had  been  fought. 
They  had  made  fine  progress.  Kelsey 
peered  once  again  in  the  direction  he  last 
saw  the  Indians.  They  seemed  closer. 
They  were  undoubtedly  returning.  He 
realized  that  much  depended  upon  the 
speed  they  made  in  reaching  the  forest. 

"We  must  move  faster,"  he  said. 


FROM  FRYING  PAN  INTO  THE  FIRE    43 

They  had  gone  back  to  the  first  method 
of  getting  about — that  of  crawling  and 
they  had  lost  none  of  their  efficiency. 
Force  of  circumstances  sometimes  make 
a  man  swim,  'tis  said,  when  he  never  swam 
before.  Not  even  America  had  crawled 
for  years,  let  alone  her  father  and  mother. 
All  three  were  striking  a  fast  pace  now. 

They  were  now  less  than  100  feet  from 
the  edge  of  the  wood.  In  a  few  minutes 
they  would  be  within  its  embrace  and 
while  not  absolutely  safe,  they  felt  that  it 
was  a  step  toward  safety. 

"Just  a  little  more,"  urged  the  father, 
"and  we  will  be  out  of  their  sight.  Here's 
hoping  they  get  so  interested  in  celebrat 
ing  their  victory  that  they  forget  us.  If 
we  can  remain  in  the  wood  until  dark  the 
chances  of  safety  are  much  in  our  favor." 

Now  they  were  at  the  very  edge.  A 
few  more  feet  and  they  were  there.  They 
did  not  rise  to  their  feet  until  well  within 
the  thicket  and  then  they  stood  absolutely 
motionless,  still  fearing  any  movement 
might  disclose  their  whereabouts. 

They  could  not  even  see  the  Indians,  so 
thick  was  the  wood.  Spaces  of  light 
showed  them  where  the  edge  of  the  forest 
was.  Gaining  a  feeling  of  semi-safety 


44  AMERICA   KELSEY 

they  proceeded  further  within  the  wooded 
area.  The  crackling  of  twigs  under  their 
feet  caused  America  to  shudder. 

"I'm  afraid  they  might  be  in  here,"  she 
whimpered. 

Hardly  had  she  expressed  her  premo 
nition  when  half  a  dozen  Red  Men  sprang 
from  a  thicket  of  brush,  quickly  disarming 
Kelsey,  and  because  of  their  fear  of  the 
weapon  he  carried,  dropped  it  on  the 
ground.  It  was  but  a  few  minutes'  effort 
to  bind  the  three. 

The  Indians  conducted  Kelsey  and  his 
family  to  the  Yacheko  village.  There  they 
found  the  victors  and  there  they  met  Jose, 
who  had  just  returned  with  his  jubilant 
warriors.  It  was  to  Kelsey's  amazement 
that  Jose  addressed  him  in  Spanish.  He 
told  him  not  to  fear  and  ordered  his  men 
to  release  the  Kelseys. 

"I  saw  you  protect  them  when  you  were 
behind  the  big  oak,"  said  Jose.  "My 
braves  tell  me  they  found  you  in  the  for 
est.  They  had  been  stationed  there  to 
catch  any  of  the  bad  Yachekos  who  might 
try  to  get  away.  We  will  not  hurt  you. 
We  are  after  the  Yachekos  and  our  stock, 
which  the  Spaniards  took.  They  have  no 
right  to  them.  Where  you  live?" 


FROM  FRYING  PAN  INTO  THE  FIRE    45 

It  was  sometime  before  David  Kelsey 
realized  that  this  was  the  real  situation. 
He  looked  at  his  wife  and  America,  who 
was  still  sobbing.  She  clung  to  her 
mother.  In  due  time  Kelsey's  tongue  re 
covered  its  power  of  speech,  and  he  replied 
in  broken  Spanish  that  he  lived  in  the  val 
ley  near  the  stream. 

"That  way  we  go,"  said  Jose.  "You  go 
with  us." 

Not  desiring  to  cross  the  resolute  leader 
of  the  Siyakumnas,  he  consented,  gladly 
giving  up  his  plans  for  the  trip  to  Captain 
Sutter's. 

"Where  your  bang?"  asked  Jose. 

Kelsey  explained  that  it  was  in  the  for 
est,  and  the  Chief  asked  him  to  get  it.  The 
Red  Men  retired  gracefully  as  Kelsey  re 
turned  with  his  weapon.  Jose  examined 
it  carefully,  returning  it  to  Kelsey,  appar 
ently  content  to  allow  him  to  keep  it.  That 
night  the  Kelseys  slept  in  a  wigwam,  one 
formerly  occupied  by  a  Yacheko  family. 

"I  told  you,  mother,"  said  David  Kel 
sey,  "that  He  would  help  us." 


CHAPTER  IX. 
ACCOMPANIED  HOME:. 

America  never  dreamed  she  would  ever 
take  a  walk  with  Indians  and  live  to  tell 
the  tale.  Her  experiences,  augmented  by 
stories  her  father  had  told,  had  caused  her 
to  feel  that  association  with  Red  Men  as  a 
pastime  was  quite  beyond  possibility,  let 
alone  probability. 

But  strange  things  happen  in  this  world. 
Conditions  often  alter  cases  and  circum 
stances  have  peculiar  effects  upon  some 
people.  Kelsey's  act  in  protecting  his 
family  from  the  attack  of  the  Yachekos 
had,  to  use  parlance  of  the  present  day  and 
decidedly  not  of  the  early  forties,  "made  a 
hit  with  Jose."  Then  again  Jose  admired 
fair  play.  It  was  because  he  believed  his 
people  had  not  been  treated  fairly  by  the 
Spaniards  that  he  had  given  up  the  life  of 
an  alcalde  and  had  gone  back  to  the  tribe. 
It  was  for  this  same  reason  that  he  was 
now  on  his  way  to  take  from  the  mission 
aries  the  cattle  which  he  declared  they  had 
buncoed  the  Siyakumnas  out  of.  How 

46 


ACCOMPANIED    HOME  47 

fortunate  for  the  Kelseys  it  was  that  they 
were  first  discovered  in  their  hiding  place 
by  the  Yachekos  instead  of  the  Siyakumas. 
Had  it  been  one  of  Jose's  men  he  had  shot, 
things  might  have  been  vastly  different. 
Thus  we  see  what  part  circumstance  some 
times  play  in  the  affairs  of  life. 

Jose  endeavored  to  make  it  clear  to  Kel- 
sey  that  nothing  would  befall  him.  He 
said  he  had  no  grudge  against  him  nor  his 
family;  that  they  might  live  in  peace  the 
rest  of  their  years  so  far  as  he  was  con 
cerned.  This  was  typical  of  Jose  and  this 
characteristic  had  much  to  do  with  the  de 
velopment  of  a  certain  city  yet  to  be.  Jose 
had  future  dealings  with  a  man  of  keen 
insight  and  his  reputation  for  fair  dealing- 
made  this  possible. 

The  Siyakumna  warriors  searched  the 
deserted  village  and  assembled  what  spoils 
they  found.  They  obtained  a  supply  of 
foodstuffs,  some  hides  and  baskets.  Like 
the  Indian  of  later  years  who  was  given  a 
stove,  which  he  placed  on  his  squaw's 
back,  relieving  her  for  a  few  minutes  of 
the  burden  of  the  papoose  only  to  place  it 
on  top  of  the  stove,  these  brave  warriors 
cached  their  booty  until  some  future  time 
when  they  would  send  their  squaws  after 
it. 


48  AMERICA    KELSEY 

A  few  of  the  baskets  Jose  gave  to  Amer 
ica.  She  accepted  them  with  reluctance, 
having  been  told  about  Indian  givers. 

"Take  them,  America,"  said  her  mother. 
"The  Chief  wants  you  to  have  them." 

Arrangements  complete,  the  tribe  pro 
ceeded  on  its  way,  which  was  over  the 
ground  the  Kelseys  had  traveled  a  few 
days  before.  As  they  passed  the  place 
where  the  white  family  had  camped  Jose 
remarked  that  some  one  had  been  there. 
His  quick  eye  noticed  the  evidence  of  the 
campfire.  Kelsey  told  him  that  was  where 
he  had  camped,  the  information  appar 
ently  satisfying  the  Chieftain. 

The  sight  of  the  tribe  on  the  march  was 
quite  picturesque.  America  enjoyed  it 
very  much  as  soon  as  her  fears  were  suf 
ficiently  allayed.  What  a  scene  for  a 
movie!  They  were  finely  built  specimens 
of  the  original  Red  Men.  Nearly  all  were 
tall  and  bore  themselves  in  a  stately  man 
ner.  They  were  extremely  proud  and 
their  recent  victory  over  the  Yachekos  was 
responsible  for  their  attitude  of  being 
absolutely  invincible. 

The  day  after  the  great  battle  was  one 
of  those  delightful  California  offerings. 
The  floor  of  the  valley  was  beautiful  to 


ACCOMPANIED    HOME  49 

behold.  Open  groves  of  oaks  were  nu 
merous.  A  grassy  sward  made  a  carpet 
for  this  floor  that  the  rarest  Brussels  in 
the  greatest  of  the  world's  palaces  could 
not  compare  with.  Near  the  rivers  grew 
soap  plant.  The  la  yerba  buena  (the 
good  herb)  grew  on  a  vine  with  a  small 
white  flower  and  so  abundantly  did  it 
grow  near  the  great  bay  that  the  village, 
which  today  is  the  greatest  city  on  the 
coast,  was  first  named  after  it.  The  yerba 
buena  grew  along  the  antelope  trail,  fre 
quently  climbing  into  trees.  The  deep 
green  of  this  natural  carpet  was  relieved 
here  and  there  with  gardens  of  wild  flow 
ers.  Fields  of  the  beautiful  flowering 
lupine,  which  seemed  to  prefer  the  neigh 
borhood  of  water,  gave  evidence  of  their 
approaching  a  stream.  There  were  places 
where  three  or  four  of  these  plants  clus 
tered  together,  forming  a  floral  bouquet 
no  florist  ever  conceived  of  and  filling  the 
air  with  a  rare  perfume.  Then  there  were 
vast  fields  of  the  beautiful  golden  flower 
heretofore  mentioned,  which  closed  its 
eyes  at  night  and  was  awakened  the  next 
morning  by  a  kiss  from  the  sun.  This 
was  America's  favorite  flower  and  she 
never  failed  to  gather  armfuls  of  them. 


50  AMERICA    KELSEY 

Bands  of  elk  and  antelope  were  a  com 
mon  sight.  In  fact,  the  San  Joaquin  val 
ley  was  a  paradise  so  far  as  its  natural 
beauties  were  concerned.  It  was  through 
this  beautiful  country  that  the  Red  Men 
and  the  Kelseys  traveled  until  they  reached 
the  hut  in  which  the  white  people  lived. 
David  Kelsey  pointed  to  the  tule  residence. 
Jose  understood.  He  bade  the  Kelseys 
farewell,  stating  he  would  send  them  fresh 
meat.  Perhaps  he  had  a  vein  of  humor  as 
he  intended  to  get  the  cattle  farther  down 
the  valley  where  the  missions  were. 

"I  send  one  of  my  braves  with  it,"  he 
said.  "Feed  em  to  the  little  girl  and  she 
grow  strong." 

The  Red  Men  rode  on,  leaving  David 
Kelsey,  his  wife  and  daughter  at  their 
home.  The  three  watched  the  Indians  as 
they  pressed  on  their  way.  They  were  all 
thinking  it  over  as  the  past  few  hours  had 
provided  much  for  them  to  ponder  on. 


; 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  BEST  TEACHER. 

We  often  undertake  things  in  life  which 
we  fail  to  carry  out.  David  Kelsey  had 
undertaken  a  trip  to  Captain  Sutler's 
camp,  but  conditions  previously  described 
had  interfered  and  thus,  after  undergoing 
hardships  and  experiences  few  men  of 
even  his  day  knew  of,  he,  his  wife  and 
daughter  were  back  again  at  their  home. 
At  least,  they  had  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  tule  hut  on  the  edge  of  the  creek, 
now  known  as  French  Camp  slough,  was 
their  home.  It  was  there  they  existed;  it 
was  there  they  secured  shelter  from  the 
elements;  it  was  there  they  ate  and  slept. 
So  that  was  why  it  was  home.  No  pic 
tures  graced  the  walls.  Reception  room, 
living  room,  library,  kitchen  and  boudoir 
were  all  in  one.  You  saw  them  at  a  glance. 

But  Kelsey  was  pioneering.  He  was  to 
have  a  section  of  land  a  mile  square,  pro 
viding  he  remained  there  the  allotted  time, 
and  he  was  one  of  those  men  who  did  not 
know  what  it  was  to  give  up,  nor  did  his 

51 


52  AMERICA    KELSEY 

wife  urge  him  to.  If  she  thought  differ 
ently  about  it,  she  kept  it  to  herself.  It 
was  impossible  at  times  to  prevent  the 
countenance  from  indicating  the  feelings 
existing  within  the  heart.  David  Kelsey 
read  these  looks  and  he  knew  without  be 
ing  told  when  his  wife  was  tired  of  it  all, 
yet  she  would  never  verbally  acknowledge 
it.  Probably  the  next  day  found  her  with 
her  spirits  brightened  and  her  hopes 
raised. 

She  had  much  to  do  even  though  her 
housework  was  light.  She  had  a  daughter 
to  rear.  The  Kelsey  home  was  also  the 
district  school  and  it  was  there  America 
learned  her  A  B  Cs.  That  was  the  least 
of  her  lessons,  however,  as  the  greatest 
instruction  she  received  was  the  art  of  be 
ing  a  good  woman.  No  teacher  in  the 
land,  no  matter  what  her  college  degrees 
may  be,  can  instruct  the  student  in  this  art 
like  a  good  mother  can.  A  fitting  example 
to  begin  with,  Mrs.  Kelsey  found  her  task 
anything  but  difficult.  True,  there  were 
no  snares  nor  pitfalls  in  their  immediate 
neighborhood,  and  the  good  work  once 
done  was  not  destroyed  by  agents  of  op 
posing  forces.  It  was  all  construction 
without  destruction.  America  Kelsey  was 


THE   BEST   TEACHER  53 

furnished  a  foundation  that  would  support 
the  weight  of  burdens  life  had  in  store  for 
her,  the  first  American  girl  to  trod  the 
level  land  of  the  great  San  Joaquin  valley 
— pastures  for  wild  animals  those  days, 
streets  of  a  growing  city  today. 

Mrs.  Kelsey  was  her  instructor  in  Eng 
lish,  in  mathematics  and  in  domestic  sci 
ence.  America  was  an  apt  pupil  and 
learned  quickly.  She  was  a  postgraduate 
in  natural  science  and,  as  before  mentioned 
knew  the  birds,  their  habits  and  haunts. 
She  loved  the  flowers  and  always  found  it 
a  source  of  great  pleasure  to  pluck  them 
by  the  armful.  Her  mother  and  father 
encouraged  her  in  these  pleasant  pursuits, 
so  there  was  good  reason  for  the  character 
she  displayed  in  later  life.  Both  her  father 
and  mother  set  her  good  examples  and 
taught  her  those  things  that  tended  for  the 
betterment  of  her  character.  The  rough 
existence  she  experienced  taught  her  not 
to  expect  pleasures  in  life,  nor  to  complain 
because  of  the  hardships  that  befall  man 
kind.  It  had  fallen  her  lot  to  be  the  first 
white  girl  to  live  in  that  locality  and  she 
assumed  the  role  with  all  the  bravery  one 
could  ask  for.  She  was  thoroughly  a  girl, 
yet  she  had  seen  enough  at  her  tender  age 


54  AMERICA    KELSEY 

of  the  stern  realities  of  life  and  especially 
of  the  life  of  a  pioneer,  that  she  was  able 
to  withstand  trials  many  a  grown  woman 
would  have  failed  to.  Surroundings  have 
much  to  do  with  one's  characteristics. 
America  Kelsey  lived  in  the  open.  Every 
thing  was  natural,  nothing  artificial.  The 
red  on  her  cheeks  nature  placed  there  and 
the  golden  hair  had  no  peroxide  tinge. 
She  mingled  with  nature's  works.  She 
lived  outdoors  whenever  the  weather  per 
mitted,  and  the  climate  of  the  great  valley 
made  it  habitable  outside  the  walls  of  the 
tule  hut  the  greater  part  of  the  time. 
There  were  times  when  the  rains  made  life 
under  the  shelter  of  tules  and  hides  any 
thing  but  pleasant,  and  there  were  also 
times  when  great  clouds  rolled  up  the 
rivers  and  out  on  the  level  stretches.  We 
call  them  land  fogs.  America  called  them 
clouds  that  had  been  thrown  out  of  the 
heavens  because  they  were  naughty.  She 
had  a  solution  for  all  of  nature's  problems. 

"I  wonder,  mother,"  said  David  Kelsey 
a  few  days  after  Jose  and  his  warriors  had 
passed  on  down  the  valley,  "whether  he 
intends  to  send  us  fresh  meat.  Would 
taste  tolerable  good,  wouldn't  it?" 

Mrs.  Kelsey  admitted  beef  would  be 
most  acceptable  but,  as  was  often  her  way, 


THE    BEST    TEACHER  55 

raised  the  question  of  their  right  to  accept 
stolen  property.  She  argued  that  the 
Indians  were  going  to  steal  the  cattle  from 
the  missions  and  their  acceptance  of  the 
fresh  meat  might  not  be  exactly  proper. 

"I  don't  believe  in  hoss  stealin'  as  you 
know,  mother,  and  hangin'  is  none  too 
good  for  cattle  thieves,  but  it  'pears  to  me 
that  this  Injun  Jose  has  some  grounds  for 
his  foraging.  He  was  an  alcalde  at  San 
Jose  and  he  is  an  educated  feller.  He  be 
lieves  his  people  have  been  deprived  of  that 
which  is  theirn.  He  is  some  fightin'  Injun, 
as  we  all  three  know- 
Then  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  he 
added : 

"And  I  ain't  goin'  to  insult  him  by  re- 
fusin'  to  accept  his  gifts  if  he  decides  to 
present  any.  Jose  and  I  are  friends  and 
in  this  lonely  country  he  might  prove  to  be 
a  pretty  valuable  friend  to  have." 

Mrs.  Kelsey  did  not  carry  the  argument 
any  further.  She  was  satisfied  with  her 
husband's  logic.  Her  admiration  for  him 
was  of  the  quality  that  made  pioneering  in 
California  in  the  forties  possible  for  some 
women. 


CHAPTER  XL 
THE:  SPOILS  OF  CONQUEST. 

Kelsey  was  an  early  riser.  He  was  a 
firm  believer  in  the  adage  that  runs : 

"Early  to  bed,  early  to  rise — 
Makes  a  man  healthy,  wealthy  and  wise." 

He  had  often  recited  it  to  America  when 
she  did  not  care  to  retire  at  the  hour  her 
parents  wished  her  to. 

Several  days  had  passed  since  the  Kel 
sey  family  had  resumed  their  life  at  the 
"ranch,"  as  David  Kelsey  liked  to  call  his 
square  mile.  The  Indians  had  monopol 
ized  less  of  the  discussion  and  the  horrors 
of  their  experience  with  the  Red  Men, 
while  not  forgotten  by  any  means,  did  not 
continually  loom  up  in  their  minds. 
Every-day  life  was  still  a  hard  task. 
David  Kelsey  endeavored  to  make  good 
his  agreement  to  stay  on  the  land,  and 
spent  his  time  improving  it.  He  and  his 
wife  talked  it  all  over  again  and  resolved 
more  firmly  than  ever  to  "stick  it  out." 

56 


THE    SPOILS    OF    CONQUEST  57 

The  head  of  the  house  arose  at  dawn  the 
morning  after  he  and  his  wife  had  re 
newed  their  decision  to  carry  out  their 
original  plans.  Peering  outside,  he  saw 
someone  coming  toward  the  hut.  Kelsey 
watched  the  traveler,  endeavoring  to  make 
out  through  the  dim  light  whether  he  was 
white  man  or  Indian.  The  stranger  ap 
proached  to  within  almost  hailing  distance 
when  Kelsey  concluded  he  was  an  Indian, 
and  without  further  ado,  reached  for  his 
gun.  He  stood  ready  for  action,  expecting 
the  Indian  to  drop  to  a  crouching  position 
as  was  their  way  of  stealing  upon  an 
enemy.  This  Indian  did  not,  however. 
As  he  came  closer  it  became  evident  that 
he  was  carrying  something. 

Kelsey  couldn't  figure  it  out.  What  was 
he  up  to,  he  asked  himself.  The  Indian 
did  not  slacken  his  pace.  It  was  observ 
able  that  he  was  burdened  with  a  heavy 
load  as  he  was  bent  over  under  the  weight 
of  whatever  he  was  carrying.  Kelsey  was 
still  trying  to  figure  out  what  the  native 
was  doing  when  it  suddenly  dawned  upon 
him. 


58  AMERICA    KELSEY 

"By  golly/'  he  exclaimed.  "I'll  bet  Jose 
sent  him  with  beef." 

The  early-morning  visitor  was  now  very 
near  the  hut  and  he  shouted  in  poor  Span 
ish  to  Kelsey,  apparently  in  order  to 
awaken  him.  He  aroused  Mrs.  Kelsey, 
who  inquired  of  her  husband  what  wa^ 
the  matter. 

"An  Injun  outside,"  replied  the  latter. 
Then  quickly  as  though  to  assure  her  there 
was  no  danger,  added,  -"I  think  he's 
bringin'  us  some  beef.  Jose  told  us  he 
was  goin'  to  remember  us,  don't  you  recol 
lect?" 

Kelsey  returned  the  messenger's  saluta 
tion  and  stepped  outside,  gun  in  hand. 

The  shape  of  the  object  he  had  on  his 
shoulders  indicated  it  was  a  shoulder  of 
beef.  To  use  the  parlance  of  the  present 
day,  it  sure  looked  good  to  Kelsey. 

The  Indian  now  stopped  before  the 
Kelsey  mansion.  He  handed  the  white 
man  the  beef,  explaining  as  best  he  could, 
which  was  difficult  for  Kelsey  to  under 
stand,  that  Jose  had  sent  the  beef  for  him 
and  his  family.  Then  Jose  had  carried 
out  his  plans  and  had  raided  the  missions' 


THE   SPOILS    OF    CONQUEST  59 

herds  of  cattle    The  beef  made  this  quite 
clear. 

Kelsey  thanked  the  Indian  and  told  him 
to  wait  until  he  could  get  him  something 
to  eat.  The  messenger  shook  his  head, 
stating  that  he  must  return  to  Jose  without 
delay.  He  said  Jose  had  sent  him  because 
he  could  talk  Spanish.  He  had  been  at 
San  Jose  when  Jose  was  an  alcalde  and  had 
there  learned  the  white  man's  language. 
Kelsey  insisted,  but  the  Red  Man  refused 
and  started  on  his  way  back. 

The  beef  proved  a  rare  treat  and  the 
entire  family  felt  no  conscientious  scru 
ples  over  partaking  of  it.  Mrs.  Kelsey 
spoke  of  Jose's  thoughtfulness  and  re 
marked  that  he  was  one  Indian  in  a  thou 
sand.  She  was  not  an  admirer  of  the 
native  Californian.  Her  experiences  with 
him  had  not  been  conducive  to  bringing 
about  friendly  relations.  She  saw  in  Jose, 
however,  a  man  of  higher  type  than  his 
tribesmen  and  this  little  act  of  kindness 
increased  the  Kelseys'  regard  for  him. 
Other  white  men  later  had  experiences 
with  Jose  that  caused  them  to  hold  him 
in  their  high  estimation. 

The  change  in  diet  was  highly  satisfac 
tory  and  Mrs.  Kelsey  found  much  pleas- 


60  AMERICA    KELSEY 

ure  in  the  increased  appetite  her  husband 
developed.  One  afternoon  when  the  beef 
supply  had  run  low,  something  far  off 
down  the  valley  caught  America's  alert 
eye.  She  hurried  to  where  her  father 
was  and  called  his  attention  to  the  sight. 
He  took  hold  of  America's  hand  and  hur 
ried  with  her  to  the  hut. 

"Don't  want  to  alarm  you,  mother,"  he 
said,  "but  tell  me  what  do  you  think  of 
that?"  and  he  pointed  to  the  approaching 
something. 

"It  can't  be  that  we  are  going  to  be  at 
tacked  by  the  Indians  again,  David?"  she 
asked  with  a  show  of  nervousness. 

Kelsey  did  not  know  how  to  answer  the 
question.  He  was  trying  to  think  of 
something  that  would  be  rather  reassur 
ing,  when  his  daughter  did  it  for  him. 

"I  think  that's  Jose  and  his  Indians," 
she  said.  "Maybe  they  are  coming  back 
with  their  cattle." 

David  Kelsey's  countenance  brightened. 

"I'll  bet  the  little  lady's  right,"  said  her 
father. 

The  three  strained  their  eyes  watching 
the  great  dark  object,  until  in  due  time 
there  was  no  doubt  as  to  what  it  was — a 


THE    SPOILS    OF    CONQUEST  61 

tribe  of  Indians.  It  was  America's  quick 
eyes  that  saw  the  cattle  the  Indians  were 
driving.  Any  fears  that  either  Kelsey  or 
his  wife  might  have  still  entertained,  van 
ished  with  America's  announcement. 

"Can't  you  see  the  cattle?"  she  asked. 

Both  David  Kelsey  and  his  wife  held 
their  hands  as  a  shade  for  their  eyes  and 
saw  that  their  daughter  was  right.  Jose 
and  his  Siyakumnas  did  not  pass  within 
very  close  range  of  the  hut,  but  Jose  took 
occasion  to  pay  the  Kelseys  a  short  visit. 
He  pointed  with  pride  to  the  cattle,  saying 
he  had  not  stolen  them,  but  had  simply 
taken  what  belonged  to  his  people. 

Kelsey  thanked  Jose  for  the  beef.  The 
Chief,  reminded  by  this  of  a  matter  he 
desired  to  speak  of,  told  Kelsey  that  the 
Indian  who  had  brought  him  the  beef  had 
been  taken  ill  and  was  left  in  company 
with  a  couple  of  the  tribesmen  a  few  miles 
further  down  the  valley,  designating  the 
location  by  stating  it  was  straight  down 
the  trail  to  the  river.  He  said  he  was  very 
sick,  but  that  as  soon  as  he  got  better  he 
would  come  on  with  his  companions. 

"Tell  Jose  we  will  visit  the  sick  man," 
said  Mrs.  Kelsey. 


62  AMERICA    KELSEY 

The  remark  was  imparted  to  Jose,  who 
replied  that  the  white  lady  was  very  kind 
and  that  maybe  her  medicine  might  help 
the  unfortunate  brave. 

Jose,  considering  his  visit  over,  bade  all 
farewell  and  returned  to  his  warriors,  re 
newing  their  journey  to  their  stronghold 
in  the  region  of  the  present  town  of 
Knights  Ferry.  The  Kelseys  watched 
them  until  they  were  so  far  away  that  it 
was  impossible  to  designate  the  cattle  from 
the  Indians. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

GOOD  SAMARITANS. 

Big  hearted  people  sometimes  rush  into 
places  in  an  effort  to  do  some  one  a  service 
that  cost  them  dearly.  Had  the  Kelsey 
family  known  what  the  contemplated  visit 
to  the  sick  Indian  was  going  to  cost  them, 
they  would  undoubtedly  have  given  the 
matter  second  thought.  It  played  a  very 
important  part  in  their  life.  Caution  is 
essential  for  the  welfare  of  anyone.  In 
protecting  his  family  against  attacks  by 
Indians  or  beasts,  Kelsey  adopted  every 
possible  precaution.  In  this  particular 
instance  he  did  not  figure  on  possibilities 
which  resulted  most  seriously  for  himself 
and  those  dependent  upon  him. 

Mrs.  Kelsey  spoke  of  the  proposed  visit 
to  the  unfortunate  Red  Man  the  day  after 
Jose  had  left.  She  suggested  they  go  as 
soon  as  possible,  as  immediate  attention 
might  prove  of  great  benefit  to  the  Siyak- 
umna.  Her  husband  agreed,  and  America 

63 


64  AMERICA    KELSEY 

was  anxious  to  go  anywhere  that  offered 
a  diversion  from  the  daily  routine  on  the 
Kelsey  ranch. 

The  third  day  after  the  Indians*  de 
parture  found  the  trio  on  their  way  to  the 
San  Joaquin  river  at  the  particular  loca 
tion  designated  by  Jose.  It  was  a  delightful 
trip.  The  level  country  and  its  adornment 
of  flowers  and  shrubs  proved  most  entic 
ing  and  made  the  journey  a  pleasure. 
Then,  again,  they  were  doing  something 
for  one  who  had  been  kind  to  them  and 
who  had  suffered  misfortune.  That  made 
the  trip  doubly  pleasant.  One  always 
finds  pure  pleasure  and  real  satisfaction 
in  any  undertaking  that  he  knows  may  re 
sult  to  the  benefit  of  a  person  in  need  of 
help.  That's  true  charity.  The  charity 
of  alms  sometimes  falls  far  below  the 
mark  set  by  that  charity  which  springs 
straight  from  the  heart.  The  Kelseys 
knew  the  Indian  was  sick  and  they  knew 
that  the  treatment  offered  him  by  his  own 
people  would  not  tend  to  make  him  any 
better.  Perhaps  he  suffered  from  a  severe 
fever.  If  so,  Mrs.  Kelsey  knew  just  what 
would  help  him.  Anyway,  she  was  anx 
ious  to  do  what  little  she  could,  and  that 
was  why  she,  her  husband  and  daughter 


GOOD    SAMARITANS  65 

were  on  their  way  toward  the  great  river 
which  coursed  from  the  extreme  southern 
end  of  the  wonderful  valley  to  the  bay  at 
Yerba  Buena.  The  Kelsey  family  was 
enjoying  the  very  best  of  health,  which 
caused  them  to  desire  all  the  more  to  aid 
the  sick  man. 

The  trip  was  not  arduous.  It  was  really 
most  delightful.  Upon  their  arrival  at  the 
river  they  at  first  failed  to  locate  the  camp. 
There  were  places  along  the  stream  that 
were  passable  to  the  very  edge  of  the 
water,  while  much  of  the  bank  was 
covered  with  a  rank  growth  of  willow  and 
blackberry  vines.  They  knew  the  Indian 
camp  was  on  the  edge  of  the  water,  so  they 
hunted  for  the  places  where  the  growth 
was  so  sparse  that  one  could  reach  the 
stream.  They  found  several  of  these 
places  and  were  about  to  give  up  when 
America,  who  had  run  ahead  a  short  dis 
tance,  returned  to  her  father  and  mother 
and  between  breaths  informed  them  that 
she  had  found  the  camp.  It  was  but  a 
short  distance  below. 

There  the  Kelseys  found  the  three 
Indians,  the  sick  man  and  his  two  faithful 
companions.  Kelsey  recognized  the  Siyak- 
umna  as  the  one  Jose  had  sent  with  the 


66  AMERICA    KELSEY 

beef.  He  addressed  him  in  Spanish  and  the 
fndian  replied  that  he  was  very  sick. 

Mrs.  Kelsey  made  inquiry  as  to  the  na 
ture  of  his  illness,  but  gained  little  infor 
mation  as  the  Red  Man  gave  no  further 
intimation  than  he  was  sick  all  over.  His 
appearance  made  it  clear  that  his  tempera 
ture  was  high.  He  drank  much  water  and 
Mrs.  Kelsey,  observing  this,  promptly 
gave  his  nurses  instructions  quite  to  the 
contrary.  They  did  not  understand  what 
she  said,  but  when  she  prevented  them 
from  giving  the  Indian  a  drink,  it  dawned 
upon  them. 

The  Kelseys  remained  with  the  Indians 
practically  the  entire  day,  doing  all  they 
could  for  the  patient.  Their  kindness  was 
appreciated,  although  it  was  with  difficulty 
and  considerable  dubiousness  that  the  sick 
man  submitted  to  Mrs.  Kelsey's  instruc 
tions  for  his  care.  Through  her  husband, 
she  gave  the  Indians  strict  instructions 
what  -  to  do.  They  promised  to  obey,  but, 
as  was  their  nature,  no  doubt  had  more 
faith  in  their  own  treatment  than  the  white 
woman's. 

Remaining  as  late  as  they  dared,  the 
Kelseys  finally  started  on  their  way  home. 


GOOD    SAMARITANS  67 

Kelsey  informed  the  sick  man  that  if  he 
did  not  get  better  in  a  few  days  he  would 
call  again.  He  told  him  to  be  sure  and 
stop  at  the  Kelsey  home  if  he  recovered 
sufficiently  to  renew  his  trip  to  the  Siyak- 
umna  village. 

The  sun  was  getting  low  and  the  little 
family  found  it  necessary  to  travel  rapidly. 
The  day  had  been  long  and  all  three  were 
worn  out  when  they  reached  their  home, 
yet  they  were  satisfied  with  their  effort, 
even  though  Mrs.  Kelsey  expressed  grave 
doubts  as  to  the  faith  the  Indians  had  in 
her  treatment.  Nevertheless,  their  visit 
had  made  the  day  a  little  brighter  for  the 
sick  man  and  that  was  some  satisfaction 
to  these  kind-hearted  people. 

The  day  was  over,  but  its  effects  had 
not  yet  been  felt. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

SOMETHING  WRONG. 

The  duties  of  the  Kelsey  ranch  again 
took  the  time  of  the  pioneers.  A  few  days 
after  the  trip  to  the  Indians'  temporary 
camp,  the  father  complained  of  feeling 
poorly.  It  was  one  of  the  very  few  times 
he  had  expressed  himself  as  "bein'  out  Jer 
sorts." 

Mrs.  Kelsey  was  not  at  first  seriously 
alarmed. 

"David/'  she  said,  "you  have  probably 
a  bilious  attack.  Better  dose  up." 

"I'll  be  all  right  in  the  mornin',"  he  re 
plied.  "Must  admit,  my  dear,  that  I  don't 
feel  just  right.  'Taint  exactly  like  bilious 
ness.  Kinder  funny  feeling  all  over." 

That  night  he  slept  but  little,  and  when 
the  next  morning  broke  Mrs.  Kelsey  was 
considerably  worried  about  her  husband's 
condition.  Sickness  she  feared  in  that 
lonesome  country  more  than  anything  else. 
She  saw  her  husband  was  not  a  well  man. 
While  able  to  get  around,  he  could  not  ac- 

68 


SOMETHING   WRONG  69 

complish  much,  and  although  his  wife  in 
sisted  that  he  remain  in  the  hut,  he  refused 
to  obey  her. 

"I'll  be  in  tip-top  shape  soon,"  he  said. 
"A  little  exercise  will  do  me  good." 

But  exercise  did  not  do  him  good.  His 
strength  lessened  with  the  hours. 

That  afternoon  America,  who  had  been 
playing  in  front  of  the  Kelsey  home,  saw 
two  Indians  a  short  distance  down  the 
trail.  She  called  to  her  parents  and  both 
came  outside.  The  Indians  continued  on 
their  way  to  the  hut.  They  were  the  com 
panions  of  the  sick  man.  Neither  could 
talk  Spanish,  but  after  considerable  diffi 
culty  made  it  clear  that  their  charge  had 
passed  away  and  they  were  returning  to 
their  camp.  Their  actions  indicated  that 
they,  too,  were  not  well. 

"Father,"  said  Mrs.  Kelsey,  "do  you  re 
member  Gulnac  said  there  was  a  man  liv 
ing  on  the  point  where  the  river  and  creek 
join?" 

"Yes.  I  think  he  directed  us  to  visit 
him,  but  we  didn't  take  time.  I  think  he 
lives  about  a  mile  or  so  above  the  river. 
Has  a  cabin  on  the  point,  which  he  calls — 
let  me  see,  what  was  his  name?" 


70  AMERICA    KELSEY 

"Lindsay/'  volunteered  America. 

"That's  it— Lindsay,"  remarked  the 
father. 

"Well,"  continued  the  good  woman, 
"Fm  afraid  you  may  get  worse.  Maybe 
it  would  have  been  better  had  we  not  vis 
ited  the  sick  Indian.  That  man  Lindsay 
probably  has  medicine  we  need.  Won't 
you  go  with  us  to  his  cabin  ?" 

At  first  he  refused,  dismissing  the  sub 
ject  with  the  statement  that  he  would  soon 
be  in  regular  trim.  His  wife  insisted, 
however,  and  as  generally  is  the  case,  the 
husband  gave  in  to  her  wishes,  and  within 
a  few  minutes  the  Indians  and  three  Kel- 
seys  were  on  their  way  to  Lindsay  point, 
now  the  peninsula  that  separates  McLeod's 
lake  from  Stockton  channel,  the  present 
harbor  of  a  flourishing  city,  then  the  only 
sign  of  the  white  man's  invasion  of  that 
section.  Lindsay  point  played  an  impor 
tant  part  in  the  careers  of  these  three.  It 
was  there  they  learned  what  true  sorrow 
was;  it  was  there  America  first  faced  the 
bitterness  of  life.  Tragedies  are  often 
enacted  on  short  duration.  The  stage  may 
be  within  a  palace  or  amid  the  wilds  of  a 
land  that  has  not  felt  the  touch  of  civili 
zation. 


SOMETHING   WRONG  71 

It  was  a  tedious  trip,  the  distance  being 
about  four  miles.  Each  step  found  the 
sick  man  weaker.  Late  that  evening  they 
reached  the  point  of  land  where  stood  the 
cabin  built  by  Thomas  Lindsay.  The 
owner  of  the  premises  was  "at  home." 

"We  are  the  Kelseys,"  explained  the 
father.  "I  have  been  taken  sick,  so  my 
good  wife  induced  me  to  see  you.  She 
thinks  you  might  have  medicine  of  some 
kind  'er  other  that  will  help  me.  Kind  of 
presuming  stranger  Lindsay,  but  in  these 
parts  we  can't  wait  on  ceremony.  That's 
how'n  we  are  here.  Hope  you'll  excuse 


us." 


"You  are  welcome,  stranger,"  said 
Lindsay.  "You  sure  don't  look  well. 
Thought  I  saw  some  one  with  you." 

"Couple  of  Injuns.  They're  on  their 
way  to  their  village." 

"Wouldn't  trust  those  fellers,"  said 
Lindsay.  "I  haven't  any  love  for  'em  and 
they  haven't  for  me.  Sometime  I  fear 
they  are  going  to  get  me  right  in  my  house. 
The  good  lady  and  her  daughter  look  tired 
and  worn  out.  You  all  make  yourself 
comfortable  while  I  prepare  something  to 
eat.  Say,  Jim,  you  better  give  Kelsey 
some  of  that  medicine  of  yourn." 


72  AMERICA    KELSEY 

Jim  was  James  Williams,  a  trapper  who 
happened  to  be  at  Lindsay's  cabin.  He 
produced  a  bottle  of  medicine,  which  he 
declared  was  good  for  all  ailments.  No 
matter  what  your  trouble  was,  the  direc 
tions  read  "Take  a  dose/'  A  string  of 
twenty  ailments  was  followed  with  the 
brief  instructions  "Take  a  dose." 

So  David  Kelsey  "took  a  dose."  He 
took  several  of  them  that  night.  The 
effects  of  the  medicine  were  noticed  the 
next  day  and  with  them  vanished  Lind 
say's  hospitality. 


HILLS  THAT  DREW  MEN   FROM   ALL   PARTS 
OF  THE   WORLD 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
A  FRIEND  INDEED. 

The  medicine  given  David  Kelsey 
brought  to  light  his  ailment,  as  the  next 
morning  his  countenance  bore  every  indi 
cation  of  the  dreaded  disease,  smallpox. 
The  marks  broke  out  over  his  body.  Mrs. 
Kelsey  was  also  taken  ill  during  the  night 
and,  although  physically  unable  to  accom 
plish  much  of  anything,  insisted  on  nurs 
ing  her  husband. 

America  began  to  realize  what  had  be 
fallen  her  parents.  Little  did  she  know, 
however,  of  the  ordeal  through  which  she 
was  to  go. 

Her  father  suffered  terribly,  the  effects 
of  the  disease  at  times  making  him  uncon 
scious.  He  talked  in  a  rambling  mannner, 
most  of  the  time  speaking  of  his  wife  and 
daughter.  His  every  thought  seemed  to 
be  concerning  the  welfare  of  those  so  dear 
to  him.  Perhaps  he  had  a  premonition  of 
what  was  coming  and,  realizing  the  terri 
ble  position  his  little  family  would  be  put 

73 


74  AMERICA    KELSEY 

in,  tried  to  figure  out  in  his  delirious  mind 
some  plan  for  their  safety. 

And  Lindsay! 

The  spirit  of  chivalry  died  immediately 
in  the  heart  of  Lindsay.  One  glance  at 
the  unfortunate  man  drove  away  any 
charitable  instinct  he  might  have  had.  He 
knew  the  danger  of  smallpox  and  he  did 
not  relish  the  possibility  of  being  taken 
down,  so  he  straightway  left  the  cabin. 

The  Kelseys  had  to  shift  for  themselves 
while  in  the  grip  of  the  disease  so  far  as 
Lindsay  was  concerned.  He  did  not  in 
tend  to  jeopardize  his  own  health.  No, 
not  he. 

He  located  for  the  time  being  a  short 
distance  away  from  his  cabin,  awaiting 
developments — the  developments  he  felt 
sure  were  bound  to  come.  He  had  seen 
Indians  when  they  had  the  smallpox  and 
he  had  seen  them  fall  off  like  the  leaves  in 
autumn.  He  knew  too  well  how  slim  the 
chances  for  recovery  were,  and  he  was 
not  daring  fate.  It  was  self  preservation 
first  with  him.  That  was  his  rule  and  this 
occasion  demanded  its  strict  enforcement. 

That  was  how  David  Kelsey,  his  wife 
and  daughter  found  themselves  practically 
helpless  in  the  cabin  on  Lindsay  Point. 


A    FRIEND    INDEED  75 

The  horror  of  it  all !  It  left  an  impres 
sion  upon  the  developing  mind  of  the  child 
that  time  never  erased.  She  had  had  many 
bitter  experiences  during  her  young  years, 
but  this  was  the  bitterest  of  all.  Her 
mother  and  father  seriously  ill  and  she 
practically  alone! 

Down  on  her  knees  she  prayed  to  the 
good  Lord  to  help  her  daddy  and  mother. 
She  mingled  her  prayers  with  tears.  The 
day  dragged  on  and  the  child  waited  on 
her  parents,  offering  them  what  little  com 
fort  she  could.  Her  father's  delirium  in 
creased  and  he  tossed  on  his  bed  of  furs, 
tearing  at  his  face  until  it  was  scarred  as 
though  he  had  gone  through  battle.  In 
reality  it  was  a  battle.  To  him  it  was  the 
battle  for  his  life;  not  that  he  was  afraid 
to  meet  his  Maker,  but  what  was  to  be 
come  of  them  ? 

The  second  night  at  the  Lindsay  cabin 
was  one  of  terrible  suffering  for  both  the 
father  and  mother.  The  light  of  the  day 
was  never  seen  by  Mrs.  Kelsey  as  the  dis 
ease  had  ruined  her  eyesight.  The  dark 
ness  of  that  second  night  was  everlasting 
so  far  as  she  was  concerned. 

"Father,  father,"  she  cried.  "Where 
are  you?" 


76  AMERICA    KELSEY 

There  was  no  answer. 
"David,  my  David!     Let  me  see  you 
once  again.    Where  is  America?" 

"I'm  here,  mother,"  answered  the  child. 

"Where's  father,  America?"  inquired 
the  mother.  "Why  doesn't  he  answer 
me?" 

"I  guess  he's  asleep.    I'll  see." 

America  stepped  quietly  to  his  side.  He 
was  asleep.  She  touched  his  hand.  It 
was  cold. 

"Mother!"  she  screamed. 

Mrs.  Kelsey  understood. 

That  scream  was  self  explanatory.  It 
expressed  the  height  of  grief;  the  very 
greatest  depth  of  sorrow.  It  came  from 
the  child's  very  soul. 

"My  David!  my  David!"  wept  the 
mother.  "Take  me  to  him,  America,  take 
me  to  him !" 

The  daughter  led  the  mother  to  all  that 
remained  of  him  who  had  been  so  dear  to 
her,  had  been  so  true. 

"If  I  could  only  see  him  just  once,"  she 
cried,  "just  once!" 

But  for  both  David  Kelsey  and  his  wife 
sight  was  no  more — for  him  it  was  the 


A    FRIEND    INDEED  77 

end  on  this  earth.     His  pioneering  was 
over. 

It  was  tragedy  in  its  severest  form  for 
America.  Her  father  dead,  her  mother 
blind  and  absolutely  no  one  to  lend  a  help 
ing  hand  in  this  hour  of  grief  and  need. 

Lindsay  was  waiting  developments  at 
his  temporary  camp  when  he  heard  the 
wails  of  the  mourners.  He  knew  what 
had  occurred ;  still  he  did  not  venture  near 
the  cabin. 

This  was  where  George  Wyman  met 
him  that  day.  Wyman,  the  trapper,  had 
stopped  at  the  Lindsay  camp  on  his  way 
to  the  Sacramento  valley. 

"What  you  doing  here,  Tom?"  he  asked 
of  Lindsay. 

"Forced  out  of  my  home,"  replied  Lind 
say.  "The  Kelseys  are  occupying  it  tem 
porarily." 

"Mighty  kind  of  you,"  replied  Wyman. 
"Met  that  family  at  their  'ranch'  as  they 
call  it  about  four  miles  beyond.  Let's  go 
up  and  visit  them.  Treated  me  mighty 
nice  when  I  was  at  their  place." 

"No,  thank  you,"  sneered  Lindsay. 
"I'm  not  looking  for  trouble.  I've  done 


78  AMERICA    KELSEY 

enough  for  'em  to  turn  over  my  cabin  to 
the  family.  You  better  look  out." 

"Look  out  for  what?" 

"The  old  man's  got  the  smallpox  and 
his  wife  is  most  blind.  The  gal  hasn't 
shown  any  signs  of  the  disease.  I  think 
one  of  'em,  probably  him,  is  dead,  because 
I  heard  the  women  crying." 

"Dead !"  exclaimed  Wyman.  "What  do 
you  intend  to  do?  Haven't  you  got  a 
heart?" 

"I  told  you  I  wasn't  looking  for  the 
smallpox.  All  I  got  to  say  is  to  carry  the 
old  man  out  and  let  the  coyotes  do  the 
rest" 

Wyman  was  as  much  afraid  of  the 
dreaded  disease  as  Lindsay,  but  that  did 
not  prevent  him  from  performing  his  duty 
as  he  saw  it.  He  came  to  Mrs.  Kelsey  and 
her  daughter's  assistance  and  tenderly  laid 
the  father  at  rest.  History  tells  us  that 
he  was  buried  at  a  point  now  near  the 
southwest  corner  of  Fremont  and  El  Do 
rado  streets  in  the  present  city  of  Stockton. 

Wyman  did  not  go  to  the  other  valley 
as  he  first  planned.  He  retraced  his  steps 
as  soon  as  Mrs.  Kelsey  recovered  from  the 
disease,  and  accompanied  the  woman  and 
her  daughter  to  Yerba  Buena,  where  they 


A    FRIEND    INDEED  79 

were  provided  for  by  pioneers  of  a  char 
itable  disposition. 

The  young  trapper,  after  assuring  him 
self  that  the  mother  and  daughter  were  in 
safe  hands,  resumed  his  trapping  trip  over 
the  course  he  had  taken.  A  week  or  so 
found  him  back  to  the  Lindsay  place. 

The  point  of  land  was  bare  of  its  only 
sign  of  habitation,  ashes  and  charred 
wood  giving  evidence  of  a  raid  by  the 
Indians.  No  one  was  at  hand,  so  Wyman 
for  the  time  had  not  solved  the  mystery. 
Trappers  he  met  further  up  the  country, 
however,  had  learned  the  truth  from  the 
Indians.  Lindsay  had  left  the  place  after 
the  death  of  David  Kelsey,  giving  the 
cabin  time  to  throw  off  danger  of  the 
epidemic.  He  returned  about  two  weeks 
later  and  was  killed  by  a  tribe  of  Indians 
called  the  Luckalumnas,  who  came  from  a 
section  later  known  as  the  lone  valley, 
Amador  county.  They  fired  the  house 
with  their  victim's  body  in  it. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

CAPTAIN  WEBER. 

It  was  1841,  three  years  before  the 
Kelseys  accepted  Gulnac's  offer  to  locate 
at  French  Camp,  that  Charles  M.  Weber 
arrived  in  California,  a  member  of  a  party 
of  thirty-five  men  and  a  woman.  This 
party  separated,  each  going  his  respective 
way,  after  reaching  the  base  of  Mt. 
Diablo.  Captain  Weber  and  a  friend 
started  for  Sutter's  Fort,  passing  through 
the  country  now  known  as  San  Joaquin 
county.  If  he  had  known  the  future  he 
would  have  been  able  to  have  foretold  the 
growth  of  a  city  of  40,000  people  on  the 
land  he  then  saw  for  the  first  time.  Nor 
did  he  realize  then  that  he  would  be  instru 
mental,  very  much  so,  in  starting  this  city 
on  her  way. 

The  winter  of  1841  and  1842  found 
Captain  Weber  a  guest  at  Sutter's  Fort. 
While  there  he  met  Jose  Jesus  and  a  last 
ing  friendship  grew  up  between  them. 
Jose  found  much  to  admire  in  Captain 
Weber  and  the  white  man  was  quick  to 
80 


CAPTAIN    WEBER  tl 

observe  the  fine  qualities  that  made  up  the 
character  of  this  Indian  Chief. 

Captain  Weber  was  very  favorably  im 
pressed  with  the  land  where  the  Kelseys 
had  lived.  During  one  of  his  friendly 
chats  with  Jose,  he  unfolded  to  him  his 
plans  of  settling  on  the  land,  explaining 
that  the  Americans  were  desirous  to  be 
his  allies. 

Jose  advised  the  building  of  an  Ameri 
can  village  at  Lindsay  Point  or  there 
abouts.  He  argued  that  this  would  place 
his  colony  beyond  the  reach  of  the  Span 
iards.  Jose's  hatred  for  the  Spaniards  was 
everlasting. 

The  Polo  Indians  lived  in  the  mountains 
and  one  bright  day  crossed  the  San  Joa- 
quin  river  and  stole  stock  belonging  to  Dr. 
Marshe,  a  friend  of  Captain  Weber's. 
The  Captain  sought  Jose  and  asked  his 
advice.  Jose  advised  an  immediate  attack 
against  the  invaders.  An  expedition  was 
fitted  out  and  the  Polos  were  located  near 
the  headwaters  of  the  Calaveras  river.  A 
battle  ensued,  the  Indian  camp  destroyed 
and  the  stock  recovered.  So  effective  did 
Jose  operate  that  the  Polo  tribe  never 
ventured  another  excursion  beyond  the 
San  Joaquin. 


82  AMERICA    KELSEY 

Wyman  continued  his  trapping,  taking 
occasion  to  visit  Mrs.  Kelsey  and  her 
daughter  in  Yerba  Buena.  The  daughter 
proved  great  comfort  to  her  blind  mother. 
Wyman  stopped  over  at  the  settlement 
Captain  Weber  was  endeavoring  to  estab 
lish  and  often  recalled  the  terrible  ordeal 
through  which  the  Kelsey  family  had 
gone. 

Jose  also  visited  Captain  Weber  at  his 
settlement  and  the  two  talked  over  the 
politics  of  the  new  country.  Often  Cap 
tain  Weber  gave  Jose  gifts  to  present  the 
Indians,  increasing  the  friendship  that  ex 
isted  among  the  aboriginals  and  the  "good 
white  man."  Jose  advised  him  in  many 
matters  pertaining  to  the  Indians  and 
Captain  Weber  and  Jose  Jesus  became  the 
political  leaders  of  the  day,  bringing  about 
peace  and  harmony  through  their  policies 
and  the  springing  up  of  a  new  settlement 
on  lands  the  Indians  at  one  time  declared 
no  white  man  should  live  upon.  Diplo 
macy  was  as  important  in  those  days  as  at 
present,  if  not  more  so,  and  Jose  and  Cap 
tain  Weber  proved  apt  diplomats,  all  of 
which  worked  out  for  the  future  benefit 
of  a  great  state. 


CAPTAIN    WEBER  83 

Captain  Weber  was  expecting  a  visit 
from  his  good  friend  Jose  one  day  when 
an  Indian  runner  arrived  at  the  settlement, 
breathlessly  informing  the  Captain  that 
Jose  had  been  shot.  He  had  been  wounded 
by  a  white  man.  Whom  the  assailant  was 
no  one  knew.  The  news  spread  among 
the  Siyakumnas  with  rapidity  and  there 
was  great  anxiety  among  the  tribesmen. 
None,  however,  felt  more  keenly  about  the 
sad  occurrence  than  Captain  Weber.  The 
Captain  visited  Jose  and  found  him  in  a 
serious  condition. 

"My  good  friend/'  said  Jose  in  Spanish 
when  he  beheld  the  Captain,  "I'm  afraid  I 
am  going  to  leave  you.  My  time  has  come 
and  I  go  to  the  happy  hunting  grounds." 

"No,  Jose,"  replied  the  Captain,  "I've 
dispatched  a  runner  to  a  medicine  man. 
He's  a  good  friend  of  mine  and  will  be 
here  in  a  few  hours.  He  will  help  you. 
You  must  get  well." 

Jose  grew  weaker  and  was  very  low 
when  a  Dr.  W.  M.  Ryer  arrived.  Expert 
attention  helped  Jose  and  within  a  few 
days  he  showed  signs  of  improvement. 
Dr.  Ryer  remained  with  him  for  two 
weeks  when  the  Indian  Chief  had  recov 
ered  sufficiently  to  be  able  to  move  on. 


84  AMERICA    KELSEY 

Captain  Weber  paid  the  doctor  $500  for 
his  services. 

Jose  visited  Captain  Weber  before  he 
left  and  it  was  the  last  time  the  two  were 
together.  What  became  of  the  brave  Red 
Man  Captain  Weber  never  learned.  It  is 
presumed  he  never  recovered  entirely 
from  the  injury  he  had  received  and  that 
he  passed  away  at  the  Indian  village  in  the 
hills. 

Captain  Weber  continued  his  labors  of 
upbuilding.  He  was  greatly  interested  in 
the  stock  business  and  the  outlook  for 
securing  large  tracts  of  land  was  most 
pleasing. 

The  hardships  that  made  life  so  difficult 
in  the  days  the  Kelsey  family  first  located 
in  the  valley  were  greatly  lessened.  This 
was  the  period  of  the  "Spain  in  Califor 
nia,"  when  a  life  of  ease  was  enjoyed  by 
the  Spanish  residents  of  the  valley. 

Don  Pacheto  called  upon  Captain 
Weber  one  day  and  invited  the  Captain  to 
attend  the  annual  roundup. 

"I  will  come,  Don  Pacheto,"  replied  the 
Captain.  "I  thank  you  for  your  kind  invi 
tation.  There  is  no  reason  why  your  peo 
ple  and  the  Americans  cannot  enjoy  the 
blessings  of  this  beautiful  land.  There  is 


CAPTAIN    WEBER  85 

plenty  for  all  of  us  and  life  offers  much 
for  every  man." 

"We  will  welcome  you  as  our  guests, 
sir,"  replied  the  dignified  Don.  "You  are 
a  good  man,  Captain,  and  I  agree  with 
you.  We  beg  you  to  overlook  any  lack  of 
courtesy  that  may  be  shown  by  some  of 
our  younger  men.  They  are  hotheads,  sir, 
and  some  would  drive  the  Americans  out 
of  this  country.  I  have  told  these  sons  of 
Spain  that  this  land  is  broad  enough  for 
us  all  and  peace  at  any  price  is  much  better 
than  war.  We  cannot  fight  America.  I 
know  too  well,  sir  Captain,  that  some  day 
this  land  will  be  part  of  your  great  domain, 
even  though  some  of  the  younger  men 
declare  they  would  die  first  rather  than 
see  your  flag  float  over  their  lands." 

"We  simply  want  to  live  here  with  you," 
replied  the  Captain.  "We  take  no  land  we 
do  not  pay  for  and  we  ask  for  that  which 
you  cannot  use.  Why  should  your  people 
act  like  the  dog  in  the  manger?" 

"I  do  not  understand." 

Then  Captain  Weber  unfolded  the  fable 
of  the  dog  in  the  manger. 

"Ah,  sir  Captain,"  exclaimed  Don 
Pacheto,  "I  understand.  Again  I  say  you 
are  right.  Come  to  the  fiesta  and  see  the 


86  AMERICA    KELSEY 

roundup.    I    declare    you    my    personal 
guest.    I  welcome  you  as  my  friend." 

The  vast  valley  bounded  by  the  Sierras 
on  one  side  and  the  range  of  lower  moun 
tains  that  skirted  the  ocean  on  the  other, 
was  a  playground  in  those  days.  It  was  a 
garden  of  sleepy  ease,  a  picnic  ground  for 
the  Spanish  rangers  and  their  ladies.  The 
highest  points  were  marked  with  adobe 
houses,  the  castles  of  these  barons  of  the 
valley.  The  owner  overlooked  his  acres 
and  acres  of  land  from  his  domicile. 
These  homes  were  as  far  as  twenty-five 
miles  apart  in  many  instances,  yet  every 
family  knew  every  other  family  and  the 
annual  roundup  was  an  attraction  that 
drew  all  from  far  and  wide. 

A  day  before  the  big  event  began  Cap 
tain  Weber  started  for  the  scene  further 
down  the  valley.  Don  Pacheto's  home 
was  near  the  field  selected  for  the  festivi 
ties.  The  good  Don  was  at  his  castle  when 
the  Captain  called. 

"Welcome,  sir,"  he  shouted  to  the  Cap 
tain.  "Come  into  my  humble  house. 
What  I  have  is  yours." 

The  Captain  saluted  the  Don  as  was  the 
custom  and  stepped  inside  his  home.  There 
he  met  the  Don's  wife  and  son. 


CAPTAIN    WEBER  87 

"Come  outside,  Captain,"  invited  the 
energetic  youth,  "and  see  my  mount." 

Captain  Weber  quickly  accepted  the  in 
vitation  and  walked  over  to  the  corral. 

"Elegant  animal,  young  man,"  the  Cap 
tain  said  in  admiration  of  the  horse,  which 
had  been  washed  and  brushed  until  his 
black  coat  glistened  in  the  sunlight.  "A 
fine  saddle,  too.  Never  before  have  I  seen 
a  saddle  so  rich  in  adornments.  I  believe, 
young  man,  that  this  is  the  finest  mount 
I  ever  saw." 

The  Don  bowed  low,  and  with  an  elab 
orate  gesture,  said  in  the  most  polite  man 
ner: 

"At  your  service,  sir.  Take  this  animal. 
Use  him  as  you  will.  He  is  yours." 

But  Captain  Weber  knew  too  well  the 
customs  of  the  people.  He  knew  the  good- 
hearted  generosity  which  prompted  such 
offers,  and  he  as  courteously  declined  to 
accept  the  gift,  which  the  young  man  ex 
pected  of  him.  It  was  the  custom  of  the 
day,  a  custom  that  made  those  days  hal 
cyon  days  in  early  California. 

As  the  two  were  returning  to  the  house 
they  saw  a  man  and  woman  galloping  in 
their  direction. 


88  AMERICA    KELSEY 

"Some  of  the  visitors  to  the  roundup," 
explained  the  Spaniard.  "They  look  like 
your  people,  my  friend.  We  will  wait  for 
them." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  two  people  were 
within  closer  range  of  vision. 

"Ah,"  remarked  the  young  man.  "An 
Americano  and  his  lady.  They  come  to 
learn  from  us  sons  of  Spain  how  to  ride." 

The  remark  was  made  with  a  tinge  of 
bitterness,  but  veiled  with  a  meaning  smile. 

The  Captain  watched  the  two,  making 
no  reply.  Suddenly  he  remarked: 

"My  good  friend  Wyman  and  the  Kel- 
sey  girl.  A  fine  couple  they  are." 

"Then  you  know  them,  sir  Captain. 
Invite  them  to  my  father's  house.  Per 
haps  the  Americano  will  try  to  ride  the 
bucking  bronco  tomorrow?  No  son  of 
Spain  has  yet  ridden  him." 

"I  dare  say  he  has  the  nerve  to  attempt 
it,"  replied  the  Captain. 

Greetings  were  exchanged  and  Don 
Pacheto  was  introduced  to  Wyman  and 
America  Kelsey.  Nothing  would  do  but 
they  stay  at  the  Pacheto  home. 

America  was  developing  into  a  beautiful 
woman.  Wyman  apparently  was  exer- 


CAPTAIN   WEBER  89 

cising  more  than  a  brotherly  care  over  his 
charge.  Young  Pacheto  was  elaborate  in 
his  praises  of  the  girl's  beauty  and  blushes 
expressed  her  embarrassment  of  such 
compliments.  Wyman's  expression  was 
not  one  of  satisfaction,  and  it  was  clear  to 
the  Captain  he  did  not  admire  the  young 
Spaniard's  compliments.  The  Don's  son 
referred  to  the  big  roundup  on  the  morrow 
and  spoke  at  length  of  the  wild  horse  no 
man  had  yet  ridden. 

"Perhaps  you  will  try,"  he  said  as  a  dare 
to  Wyman. 

The  Captain  and  America  both  looked 
at  Wyman  in  anticipation  of  his  answer. 
Would  he  try?  America  felt  sure  he 
would  tackle  anything,  but  she  dreaded  to 
think  of  his  attempting  this  feat. 

"Yes,  I'll  ride  your  horse,"  replied  Wy 
man.  "Count  me  in." 

The  Spaniard  smiled,  remarking  that 
the  Americano  would  be  given  the  oppor 
tunity  to  do  so. 

The  roundup  was  a  wonderful  sight. 
The  stock  men  divided  their  yearlings  and 
traded  cattle  and  stock.  The  festivities 
consisted  of  dancing  and  feasting.  The 
tinkle  of  the  guitar  was  almost  continual 
during  the  fiesta.  One  of  the  favorite 


90  AMERICA    KELSEY 

pastimes  was  to  ride  at  a  gallop  and  pull 
off  the  heads  of  live  chickens  buried  in  the 
ground.  The  big  event  was  the  riding  of 
the  wild  horse.  There  were  horses  in 
those  days  that  defied  man  to  ride  them. 
They  were  just  wild.  That's  all  you  can 
say  about  them.  Any  man  who  witnessed 
a  fellow  man  try  to  ride  one,  knew  well 
enough  about  them. 

"Now  we  see  the  Americano  ride  the 
wild  horse,"  sneered  the  Spaniard. 

"First,"  said  Don  Pacheto,  master  of 
ceremonies,  "we  permit  the  others  to  try." 

One  after  another  of  the  young  Dons 
attempted  to  master  the  beast,  a  powerful 
animal,  and  one  after  another  gave  up  the 
task.  They  succeeded  in  lassoing  him,  but 
could  not  mount  him.  Some  had  been 
quite  seriously  hurt. 

"I  wish  he  didn't  have  to  ride  that 
horse,"  quietly  said  America  to  the  Cap 
tain. 

"I'm  nervous  myself,"  replied  the  Cap 
tain,  "but  he  is  too  much  of  a  man  not  to 
attempt  it.  He's  quick  and  has  the  nerve, 
so  I  don't  think  he'll  get  hurt,  even  though 
he  doesn't  ride  the  brute." 

Wyman  had  selected  his  best  lasso.  He 
waited  for  the  horse  to  leave  the  small 


CAPTAIN    WEBER  91 

corral  in  which  he  was  held.  As  the  horse 
darted  out  of  the  passage  way  Wyman 
quickly  swung  his  lariat  over  the  animal's 
neck.  The  horse  jerked  his  head  feroci 
ously,  but  Wyman  gave  him  plenty  of 
slack  by  running  toward  him.  For  a  mo 
ment  the  animal  stood  still  and  then 
dashed  toward  the  American.  Wyman 
stepped  to  one  side  and  avoided  the  attack. 
Now  the  horse  tried  another  tactic,  Wy 
man  at  the  same  time  closing  in  on  him  by 
drawing  in  the  lariat.  The  animal  reared 
on  his  hind  legs,  pawing  in  the  air  with 
his  fore  legs.  As  he  came  down  he  fell  to 
his  knees.  This  was  Wyman's  oppor 
tunity,  and  like  a  flash  he  was  on  the  ani 
mal's  back,  clasping  his  feet  underneath 
him  as  the  horse  arose. 

The  beast  seemed  amazed  and  stood  as 
though  puzzled  at  the  burden  on  his  back. 

"He  has  mounted  him !"  cried  the  Cap 
tain. 

"Yes,  but  he'll  never  ride  him,"  said 
young  Pacheto. 

Horses,  like  other  animals,  need  but  to 
be  mastered  once.  This  was  true  with  this 
animal.  He  tried  to  shake  the  American 
off  his  back;  he  kicked;  he  reared  and 
plunged,  but  Wyman  stuck.  Worn  out 


92  AMERICA    KELSEY 

and  disheartened  the  horse  made  one  more 
attempt.  He  ran  at  breakneck  speed  to 
ward  the  crowd.  By  this  time  Wyman 
had  slipped  the  other  end  of  his  lariat  over 
the  horse's  nose.  The  infuriated  beast 
was  coming  down  upon  the  crowd  where 
the  Captain,  America  and  young  Pacheto 
stood.  Pacheto  grabbed  the  girl  and,  in  a 
fit  of  anger,  held  her  in  front  of  him. 

"He  ride  the  horse,  but  I  fix  him,"  he 
cried. 

Wyman  saw  at  a  glance  what  the  Span 
iard  was  doing.  Pulling  with  all  his  might 
on  the  lariat,  he  succeeded  in  turning  the 
horse's  head  and  likewise  changing  his 
course.  The  animal  swerved  to  one  side, 
throwing  a  cloud  of  dust  in  the  face  of  the 
girl,  preventing  a  catastrophe  that  seemed 
bound  to  occur. 

The  horse  plunged  along  a  hundred 
yards  further,  passing  a  safe  distance  be 
yond  the  line  that  was  set  for  the  success 
ful  rider  to  cover.  Wyman  dismounted, 
turning  the  beast  over  to  the  attendants. 
He  rushed  toward  the  girl  and  finding  her 
uninjured  proceeded  to  thrash  the  jealous 
Spaniard  in  true  American  style. 

"Don't,  please  don't,"  begged  America. 
"It  will  do  no  good  and  may  cause  trouble 


CAPTAIN    WEBER  93 

for  us  all.  We  are  the  Don's  guests,  you 
know." 

Reluctantly  Wyman  refrained  from 
carrying  out  his  plans.  The  good  Don 
Pacheto,  tears  in  his  eyes,  begged  most 
humbly  that  his  son  be  forgiven. 

"He  has  been  punished/'  said  the  old 
gentleman.  "Hot-headed  boy.  He  did 
not  realize  what  he  was  doing.  We  are  so 
sorry.  His  friends  they  hiss  him.  We 
must  go  on  with  the  celebration." 

The  festivities  were  continued  and  the 
happy  throng  forgot  the  regrettable  affair. 
Young  Pacheto  that  night  shamefacedly 
asked  forgiveness,  which  was  granted  him, 
but  Wyman  never  lost  track  of  him  during 
the  remainder  of  the  fiesta. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  YELLOW  METAL. 

Captain  Weber  returned  to  his  camp, 
his  efforts  to  establish  a  city  seeming  more 
in  vain  than  ever.  He  had  decided  upon 
a  name.  It  was  to  be  the  "City  of  Stock 
ton,"  in  honor  of  Commodore  Stockton, 
who  was  to  bring  a  vessel  to  the  townsite. 

Incidents  occur  at  times  never  expected, 
bringing  about  things  that  look  impossible 
to  accomplish.  Such  it  was  with  this  good 
man's  plans.  His  dreams  of  a  city  proved 
a  reality.  It  was  a  city  that  grew  almost 
in  a  night. 

One  day  while  the  Captain  was  attend 
ing  to  details  that  consumed  his  attention 
at  his  camp,  a  runner  bore  him  the  news 
that  gold  had  been  discovered  at  Sutter's 
Fort.  The  Captain  got  the  spirit  along 
with  every  man  in  the  great  valley  who 
heard  the  wonderful  news. 

He  and  a  few  other  white  men  obtained 
the  services  of  a  score  of  Siyakumnas  and 
started  on  a  search  for  the  precious  metal 

94 


THE    YELLOW    METAL  95 

in  the  hills  directly  east  of  his  holdings. 
They  met  with  success  in  locating  the 
alluring  metal,  but  did  not  mine  it  profit 
ably.  However,  his  discovery  opened  the 
Southern  Mines  section,  one  of  the  richest 
gold  districts  in  the  world. 

This  report  reached  Yerba  Buena  and 
up  the  river  came  the  first  sloop  loaded 
with  prospectors.  Others  came  overland, 
as  many  as  300  crossing  the  San  Joaquin 
river  at  one  time  below  Weber's  place. 

"Hello,  my  good  friend  Wyman," 
shouted  the  Captain  one  day  after  the  rush 
began.  "Going  to  the  diggings?" 

"I'm  on  my  way  to  the  hills/'  replied 
Wyman.  "Trapping  is  no  occupation  for 
an  active  man  like  me  when  there's  gold 
waiting  to  be  dug." 

"Where  is  she?"  inquired  Weber. 

"Yerba  Buena,"  was  the  abrupt  reply. 

A  few  days  before,  Stockton  was  a  tule 
hut  city  of  one  building  and  few  residents 
other  than  the  Captain  and  trappers  who 
passed  that  way.  Now  scores  of  men 
rushed  here  and  there,  removing  their  bag 
gage  from  scows  and  schooners  and  leav 
ing  the  craft  in  the  channel  while  they 
trudged  to  the  hills  eastward,  hills  that 


96  AMERICA    KELSEY 

nodded  to  them  to  come  and  help  them 
selves  to  gold  that  had  drawn  men  from  all 
climes.  It  was  a  mad  rush,  this  rush  of 
'49.  It  must  have  been  startling  to  the 
deer  and  elk  and  other  wild  animals  that 
lived  in  the  valley.  Seldom  did  they  see 
any  one  save  an  occasional  Hudson  Bay 
trapper  or  an  Indian.  Now  men  with 
packs  on  their  backs,  men  on  burros  and 
men  pushing  carts  containing  their  belong 
ings,  made  their  way  to  the  diggings.  The 
bright  yellow  metal  proved  a  magnet  that 
drew  men  to  the  enchanted  spot.  It 
brought  good  men  and  bad  men  and  a  few 
women.  Excitement  ran  high.  Every 
thing  was  at  a  fever  pitch. 

And  thus  the  natural  surroundings  of 
Stockton  gave  way  to  the  march  of  what 
was  then  called  civilization,  and  in  the 
wink  of  an  eye  measured  as  a  part  of  time 
itself,  hundreds  of  tents  and  tule  huts 
grew  on  the  level  land  where  before  just 
Captain  Weber's  solitary  abode  stood.  A 
thousand  souls  resided  in  this  city. 

Some  men  find  wealth  where  it  is  dug 
from  the  ground;  others,  like  the  wise 
Captain,  find  it  by  remaining  at  the  camp 
that  becomes  the  base  of  supplies  for  the 
miners  in  the  hills. 


THE    YELLOW    METAL  97 

Women  were  so  very  much  in  the  minor 
ity  that  their  influence  was  not  felt  to  any 
great  extent  and  men  turned  in  some  in 
stances  to  a  state  of  almost  semi-barbar 
ism.  They  drank,  gambled,  robbed  and 
murdered.  This  element  was  found  in  the 
new  camp.  During  these  earlier  days  of 
the  gold  rush  they  did  just  about  as  they 
wished,  and  that  was  why  Captain  Weber 
expressed  alarm  when  he  saw  pretty 
America  Kelsey  step  off  a  sloop  one  bright 
morning. 

"My  child!"  exclaimed  the  Captain. 
"What  are  you  doing  here?  This  is  no 
place  for  you." 

"I  lived  here  before  this  town  grew,  be 
fore  it  was  born,"  she  laughed,  "so  I  don't 
see  why  I  can't  exist  here  now  that  the 
Indians  don't  annoy  us  and  there  is  plenty 
food  on  hand." 

"Ah,  America,"  smiled  Weber,  "life  in 
those  days  had  its  dangers,  but  I  fear  the 
arrival  of  these  men  greedy  for  gold  has 
made  dangers  far  greater  than  the  terrible 
hardships  you  experienced." 

"Captain,"  she  said,  "part  of  my  life 
here  was  beautiful  and  part  of  it — "  Her 
eyes  filled  with  tears  and  thoughts  of  the 
ordeal  through  which  she  passed  those 


98  AMERICA    KELSEY 

few  nights  and  days  at  the  Lindsay  cabin 
were  more  than  she  could  stand.  Woman 
like,  she  had  her  cry,  then  dried  her  tears 
and  chased  away  the  clouds  with  the  sun 
shine  of  her  smile. 

"Have  you  seen — have  you  seen  anyone 
I  might  know?"  she  asked  evasively. 

"And  I  asked  you  why  you  came?" 
laughed  the  Captain.  "Yes,  I  saw  George 
Wyman  upon  the  arrival  of  the  first  gold 
seekers.  He  has  been  down  here  once 
since.  Says  he  has  struck  a  good  claim 
and  hopes  to  make  a  stake.  Pretty  fine 
fellow,  isn't  he?" 

"I'm  glad  you  like  him." 

So  America  Kelsey  became  the  queen  of 
the  camp.  She  was  respected  by  all,  and 
those  who  might  not  have  done  so,  dared 
not  do  otherwise. 

This  scarcity  of  women  made  this  par 
ticularly  striking  young  woman  a  rare 
attraction. 

"There's  a  ball  at  the  hall  tonight,"  she 
overheard  one  miner  tell  a  group  of  com 
panions  one  day.  "Be  on  hand,  boys.  It's 
been  many  a  day  since  I  whirled  a  gal 
around." 


THE   YELLOW    METAL  99 

America  did  not  go  to  the  ball,  but  she 
enjoyed  the  account  she  heard  of  it  later 
on.  According  to  the  story  told  the  Cap 
tain,  there  was  a  fine  attendance  of  men, 
but  only  one  member  of  the  gentler  sex,  a 
Mexican  woman.  So  the  ball  broke  up 
before  it  started.  The  women  were  im 
ported  by  a  saloon  keeper  to  deal  monte 
and  they  proved  a  big  advertisement  for 
the  house. 

The  lawless  element  ruled  things  with 
a  high  hand.  Bill  Tubbs  walked  into  one 
of  the  gambling  houses,  chalked  a  line 
across  the  floor  and,  in  order  to  make  clear 
how  bad  he  was,  declared  he  would  shoot 
the  first  man  that  stepped  over  it.  A  poor, 
stupid,  drunken  sailor  accepted  the  dare 
and  fell  to  the  floor  with  a  bullet  in  his 
heart.  No  one  dared  to  interfere  and  Bill 
Tubbs  and  his  gang  walked  out  unmo 
lested. 

It  was  this  same  Bill  Tubbs,  whom 
America  Kelsey  overheard  plotting 
against  one  of  the  miners  one  day.  She 
was  in  the  Captain's  store  when  she  heard 
their  plans. 

"Thar's  a  young  feller  due  here  most 
any  day,"  said  Bill,  "and  he  will  come  with 


100  AMERICA    KELSEY 

his  swag  of  dust.  Pickings  is  gettin' 
short,  pals,  so  we've  got  to  get  this  hand 
some  youngster.  We'll  pick  a  fight  or 
something  or  other  and  during  the  mixup 
one  of  us  will  relieve  him  of  his  burden. 
What  do  you  say  to  this,  my  hearties?" 

"A  fine  suggestion,"  volunteered  Shorty 
Jones.  "And  about  the  next  day  the 
Vigilantes  will  send  us  a  note,  making  us 
the  honored  guests  at  a  rope  party.  I'll 
tell  you  how  to  work  the  game.  Listen  to 
me.  He'll  undoubtedly  cross  the  ferry. 
We'll  meet  him  on  the  way  and  chuck  him 
into  the  channel.  No  one  will  be  the 


wiser." 


All  agreed  that  this  would  be  the  ideal 
method. 

America  was  greatly  worried.  She 
asked  the  Captain  if  he  knew  of  any  one 
who  was  coming  from  the  diggings  soon. 
The  Captain  replied  in  the  affirmative, 
believing  she  had  reference  to  Wyman. 

"Then,  Captain,"  she  said,  "we  must 
watch  out  for  him.  We  must  see  him  first. 
I  have  something  to  tell  him." 

"That's  right,  little  lady,"  replied  the 
Captain.  "We'll  have  to  see  that  you  meet 
him  first." 


THE    YELLOW    METAL  101 

America  pondered  over  this  affair.  She 
wondered  who  the  gangsters'  intended 
victim  might  be. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

A  MORTGAGED  FORECLOSED. 

As  long  as  food  and  supplies  lasted,  the 
men  who  were  scratching  the  surface  of 
the  earth  in  the  Sierras  east  of  Stockton 
continued  at  their  task.  When  supplies 
were  exhausted  they  made  their  way  to 
the  camp  at  the  head  of  the  inland  water 
way  and  traded  gold  dust  for  additional 
foodstuffs,  paying  enormous  prices  for  the 
same.  Demand  makes  trade,  and  so  great 
was  the  demand  for  the  necessities  of  life, 
that  the  price  went  soaring  most  as  high 
as  the  highest  mountain  peak. 

An  Indian  dropped  into  camp  a  day  or 
so  after  America  had  overheard  the  plans 
of  the  schemers  and  disseminated  the  news 
that  one  of  the  prospectors  had  been  seen 
some  distance  east.  He  was  on  his  way  to 
the  camp  undoubtedly  to  stock  up  again. 

America  got  this  news  as  also  did 
Shorty  Jones  and  his  gang.  It  was  late 
in  the  day  when  she  learned  the  fact.  The 
Captain  was  not  at  his  home.  She  walked 
down  to  the  point — that  narrow  neck  of 

102 


A   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED  103 

land  where  she  first  experienced  the  sor 
row  of  real  tragedy  in  her  home.  It  was 
almost  dusk,  the  last  glare  of  the  sunset 
dimly  falling  on  the  quiet  waters  of  the 
lake  that  opened  from  one  side  of  the 
channel. 

"Hello,  there !"  some  one  shouted  from 
the  other  side.  "Bring  your  tub  across 
and  earn  an  honest  bit  of  dust,"  he  sang 
out  to  the  drowsing  boatman.  The  boat 
man  was  a  character  of  the  camp.  He 
liked  to  be  bantered;  he  enjoyed  saluta 
tions  of  that  kind  much  more  than  a  mere 
request  to  paddle  across  ^the  water  and 
take  on  a  passenger. 

"As  sure  as  you're  standing  there,"  he 
yelled  back.  "Don't  get  in  a  hurry,  mister. 
You  can't  walk  across,  and  it's  a  long  way 
around  the  lake." 

America  was  standing  in  the  shadow 
cast  by  a  great  weeping  willow.  She  saw 
the  boatman  paddle  toward  the  other 
shore.  He  had  gotten  fairly  well  on  his 
way  when  she  saw  another  craft  moving 
from  around  the  point.  It  contained  three 
men.  They  propelled  their  boat  slowly, 
treading  water  as  it  were  while  the  boat 
man's  passenger  got  aboard  on  the  other 
side.  As  soon  as  he  started  back  they  pro- 


104  AMERICA    KELSEY 

ceeded  in  a  direct  line,  apparently  carrying 
out  well  made  plans  to  meet  him  in  the 
very  center  of  the  lake. 

America's  experiences  during  the  earlier 
days  of  the  country  had  made  her  quick  to 
perceive  such  schemes,  and  the  whole  plot 
flashed  through  her  mind  in  a  second.  The 
one  question  she  asked  herself  over  and 
over  was :  What  shall  I  do  ?  There  was 
no  time  to  run  for  help.  Immediate  action 
was  necessary.  She  ran  down  to  the  wa 
ter's  edge,  and  making  her  way  along  the 
shore  a  short  distance,  saw  a  dark  object 
half  in  the  water  and  half  on  the  land.  A 
few  moments  later  found  her  "putting  out 
to  sea"  in  a  flat-bottomed  boat  kind  for 
tune  had  left  there. 

The  trio  in  the  boat  that  had  set  out  for 
the  ferry  had  met  the  lone  traveler  in  the 
middle  of  the  lake  just  as  they  had 
planned.  Although  the  light  of  day  had 
gone  she  was  close  enough  to  the  two  boats 
to  make  out  the  forms  of  the  men.  She 
saw  the  man  in  the  ferry  stand  up;  she 
saw  him  hold  up  his  hands,  but  for  a  sec 
ond  only  as  he  brought  an  arm  down  upon 
the  head  of  one  of  the  pirates  and  knocked 
him  into  the  lake.  A  skirmish  followed. 
Splash!  Some  one  else  went  overboard. 


A   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED  105 

It  was  either  the  ferryman  or  his  passen 
ger — America  could  not  tell  which. 
Curses  indicated  that  it  was  the  passenger, 
so  America  bent  upon  the  crude  oars, 
swerved  from  her  former  course  to  meet, 
if  possible,  the  man  floundering  toward 
shore.  He  seemed  to  find  difficulty  in 
keeping  above  the  water  and  was  making 
slow  progress. 

America  expected  the  men  in  the  boat 
would  follow  him,  but  they  were  pulling 
toward  the  opposite  shore,  leaving  the  fer 
ryman  alone  in  his  boat,  dazed  and  fright 
ened  half  to  death. 

It  seemed  to  America  she  would  never 
reach  the  swimmer.  Perhaps  he  would 
go  down  before  she  got  there!  Her 
strength  was  taxed  to  the  utmost  and  she 
pulled  with  all  her  might.  The  boat  drew 
along  the  water  as  though  its  flat  bottom 
were  half  stuck  in  the  mud. 

Little  by  little  she  closed  up  the  gap 
that  lay  between  her  and  the  man  strug 
gling  in  the  lake  until  finally  the  two  met. 
He  reached  for  the  oar  and  she  hauled  hirp 
alongside.  It  was  with  difficulty  that  she 
got  him  aboard,  in  the  attempt  almost 
overturning  the  frail  craft.  He  was 
plainly  exhausted  and  lay  face  down  while 


106  AMERICA    KELSEY 

she  rowed  back  to  the  place  from  whence 
she  started. 

As  the  boat  slid  upon  the  slippery  shore, 
the  jar  aroused  the  man.  He  sat  up,  shook 
himself  and  ran  his  hand  over  his  face  as 
though  to  ask  "Where  am  I?  What  has 
happened  ?" 

"Come,"  said  America,  "we  must  get 
out  of  here.  You  poor — Why,  it's  George ! 
Now  I  understand.  The  Captain  thought 
I  knew  it  was  you  who  were  coming  to  the 
camp.  Oh,  how  glad  I  am  that  I  came 
down  here  tonight.  Something  seemed  to 
tell  me  to.  My  poor  boy !" 

Wyman  clambered  out  of  the  boat,  ac 
cepted  the  hand  that  was  outstretched  to 
ward  him  and  trance-like  followed  her  to 
the  other  side  of  Lindsay  Point.  Suddenly 
he  appeared  to  understand.  He  gazed 
upon  the  young  woman,  the  golden  hair 
bringing  back  fond  memories.  Here  these 
two,  the  first  white  woman  to  experience 
the  beauties  as  well  as  the  trials  and  heart 
breaking  sadness  of  life  in  the  new  land, 
and  the  man  who  helped  her  place  her 
father  in  his  final  resting  place  when  the 
few  others  had  shamefully  deserted  her, 
again  stood  at  the  setting  of  this  former 
tragedy.  This  time  it  was  the  girl, 


A    MORTGAGE    FORECLOSED  107 

America  Kelsey,  the  queen  of  the  camp, 
who  assumed  the  heroic  role. 

"I'm  so  glad  it  was  you,"  she  said  to 
him.  "I  owe  you  so  much." 

Wyman,  irrespective  of  the  fact  that  he 
was  soaking  wet,  folded  her  in  his  strong 
arms.  "Yes,  so  much,"  he  smiled,  "that 
you  are  indebted  to  me  for  life.  The  mort 
gage  is  foreclosed  and  you  must  be  mine 
for  all  time." 


The  two  stood  up  on  Lindsay  Point  gaz 
ing  toward  the  tented  city.  Had  they 
prophetic  minds  they  would  have  foretold 
the  growth  of  a  city  of  40,000  population, 
the  Gateway  City  to  the  great  San  Joaquin 
valley,  with  its  acres  and  acres  of  rich  land, 
welcoming  the  homeseekers  who  come  this 
way  this  year  when  the  wedding  of  the 
oceans  is  celebrated  by  the  exposition  at 
what  was  then  Yerba  Buena ;  a  city  where 
three  transcontinental  railroads  and  vari 
ous  electric  trains  find  it  most  profitable  to 
extend  their  bands  of  steel ;  where  vessels 
of  all  kinds  find  a  prosperous  trade;  a 


108  AMERICA    KELSEY 

hustling,  thriving  city  in  the  heart  of  the 
greatest  state  in  the  Union. 

And  had  they  visions  of  the  future  their 
eyes  would  have  seen  from  Lindsay  Point 
the  picture  unfolded  to  your  vision  on  the 
next  page. 


THE  END. 


Here  follow  a  number  of 
Stockton  business  institu 
tions  that  have  played 
prominent  parts  in  the  de 
velopment  of  this  com 
munity. 


Existence  would  not  have  been 
so  hard  for  San  Joaquin's 
Pioneers  had  they  access  to  a 
sporting  goods  house  like 

BRANCH'S,  Inc. 

Sporting  Goods,  Bicycles,  Pho 
nographs,      Motorcycles,      Etc. 
309-311  East  Weber  Ave. 


IMPAIRED  OR  FAILING 
EYESIGHT 

is  indicated  by  inability  to  read  easily,  squint-* 
ing,  headache,  etc.,  and  is  due  to  a  physical 
defect  in  the  eyes. 

Our  examination  shows  what  the  defect  is. 

Our  glasses  are  so  made  and  fitted  that  de 
fective  eyesight  is  made  effective  eyesight. 
Our  glasses  are  reasonable  in  price. 

They  look  well  and  make  you  see  well. 

CHINN  BERETTA  OPTICAL  CO. 
Stockton,  Cal.  407  E.  Main  St. 


113 


Central  California's  leading  complete  house 
furniture  store.  Everything  for  your  home 
except  the  girl. 

F.  A.  GUMMER 


429-431-433-435-437-439   East   Weber   Avenue, 
STOCKTON,  CAL. 


Harold  J.  Gage 
Co.,  Inc. 

Designers  and 
Manufacturers 
of  Art  Glass. 

We  installed  the 
art  glass  in  many  of 
Stockton's  beautiful 
homes  and  build 
ings. 

515  East  Main  St. 


114 


NEW-I-DEA  MERCANTILE  CO. 

P, one  4567          Market  at  Stanislaus 


IN  THE  upbuilding  of  Stockton, 
besides  the  many  country  sub 
divisions,  the  Weber  Home 
Tract,  McCloud's  and  Brown's 
Additions,  Sperry  Park  and  Addi 
tion,  Mossdale,  The  Oaks,  and, 
notably,  Bours  Park  have  played  a 
part.  To  have  had  some  share  in 
peopling  these  districts  is  a  source 
of  satisfaction.  It  is  our  ambition 
to  be  a  still  greater  factor  in 
Stockton's  advancement  during  the 
next  decade. 

DIETRICH  &  LEISTNER 

26  S.  San  Joaquin  Street 


115 


LAUXEN  &  CATTS.    ESTABLISHED  1888. 
Stockton's  Oldest  and  Foremost  Furniture  House. 


We  believe  in  Stockton.  We 
feel  the  future  has  much  in 
store  for  our  city.  We  there 
fore  intend  to  do  our  share  by 
keeping  ahead  of  the  growth 
of  Stockton. 

H.  J.  Kuechler  &  Son 

Jewelers   and   Goldsmiths 

California    and    Main    Streets, 

Stockton,  California 


116 


YO  SEMITE  TERRACE 

tells  the  story  of  Stockton's 
growth  in  its  best  residence 
section. 

Hammond,  Jones  &  Williams 


High  Class  City  &  Country 

SUBDIVISIONS 


We  deal  in  San  Joaquin  County 
lands.  No  section  of  California 
offers  better  inducements  to  the 
settler  than  San  Joaquin  County 

Eaton  &  Buckley 

Real  Estate 

238  E.  Main  St.,  Stockton.  Cal. 


117 


The  substantiality  of  Stockton  is  shown 
by  such  institutions  as 

1 FHKB  8  MEflUHTS  BtHK 

THE  BANK   OF  GOOD   SERVICE 

Get  the  Saving  Habit. 
Open  an  Account  with  This  Bank. 

D.  A.  Guernsey,  Pres.    Wfll  E.  Morris,  Cashier 

John  M.  Perry,  V.-P.      C.  H.  Rothenbush,  A.  C. 

Chester  B.  Welch,  A.  C. 


The  name  of 

Chas.  Haas  &  Sons 

IN  THE 

Jewelry  Line  has  always 
a& 'stood  for  Quality  && 


Established  in  Stockton 
in  1857 


118 


OUR  business  started  15  years 
ago,  has  increased  steadily 
each  succeeding  year  and  to 
day  we  have  a  fine  substantial 
trade  which  justifies  our  motto: 
"No  Misrepresentation."  We  con 
duct  strictly  a  Dry  Goods  Busi 
ness.  Only  the  best  class  of  Mer 
chandise  at  prices  always  reason 
able  and  no  higher  than  elsewhere 
has  gained  for  us  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  our  patrons. 

SMITH  &  LANG 

124-6-8  East   Main  Street 


Stockton  Is  Up-to-Date 
in  every  particular,  even 
to  a  Men 's  Hat  Store 

BEN  F.  COOPER 

"Milliner  to  Men" 


503  E.  Main  St., 

Stockton,  Cal. 


119 


IK  Ul  JMH  VJUlfl  UK 


STOCKTON,     CAL. 


Time  can  not 
dim  the  memory 
of  the  founder  of 
our  city. 


JOSEPH  FYFE, 

President 
DR.  J.  D.  YOUNG, 

Vice-President 
R.  B.  TEEFY, 

Cashier 
F.  W.  WURSTEK, 

Ass't  Cashier 

J.  C.  KEYS, 
Ass't  Cashier 


Peerless  Milling  Co. 

Excels  In 

Poultry  Supplies 
and  Mill  Feeds 


1040  E.  Church  Street 
Stockton,  Cal. 


120 


HE  CUir  IHMFF  lEHEfl 

Will  stop  itching  and  relieve 
any  Scalp  Ailment.  Price 
Fifty  cents,  Guaranteed. 
Sold  by  any  Druggist  or 

Eagle  Drug  Store  and 
Stockton  Drug  Store,  STOCCAKLTON 


Oullahan-Littlehale  Co. 

Real  Estate 


Representing  Estate  of 
the  Founder  of  Stockton 


323  E.  Weber  Ave., 

Stockton,  Cal. 


121 


For  23  years  we  have  con 
ducted  Stockton's  FINEST  Ice 
Cream  and  Candy  Shop. 
Quality  and  Service  Our  Motto. 


434  E.  Main  St.,  Stockton,  Cal. 


You  will  always  find 
suitable  entertainment 
at  the 

GARRICK 

THEATRE 


Stockton's  Popular 
.  i.  SMITH,  Prop.       Playhouse 


122 


Stockton's  Finest 
GARAGE 


Hansel  &  Ortman's 

Auto  Sundries  and  Supplies 
Agents  for  Overland  and  Cadillac  Cars 


211-227  N.  Hunter  St., 

Stockton,  Cal. 


We  have  helped  Stockton  get  a 
"Good  Footing"  by  supplying 
the  people 

"WALK-OVER"  SHOES 

Hudson  &  King 

440  E.  Main  St.,  Stockton,  Cal. 


123 


HOT EL  STOCKTON 


STOCKTON,  CAL. 


"-.' 

European  Plan,  200  Rooms  Connecting  With  Bath. 

Reinforced   Concrete    Construction. 

Absolutely   Fireproof 


We  have  shown  our  faith 
in  Stockton  by  affording  it 
the  finest  Men's  and  Boys' 
Outfitting  Establishment  in 
&&  Central  California  && 

The  I  X  L 

WEBER  AVE.,  AT  HUNTER  SQUARE 


124 


KORAN'S 

Furniture,  Carpets  and 
Draperies 


CASH  OR  CREDIT 


410-418  E.  Main  St. 

Stockton,  <.al. 


Heald's  College 

Positions  for  Graduates  and 
Graduates  for  Positions 

Shorthand,  Typewriting, 
Bookkeeping 


HEALD'S  BUILDING, 

Weber  at  Sutter,  Stockton,  Cal. 

125 


SIMPSON-GRAY 
LUMBER  CO. 


California's  Oldest  Retail 
&  Lumber  Company  9f 

ESTABLISHED  1853 
C.  G.  BIRD,  Mgr. 


124  W.  Weber  Ave., 

Stockton,  Cal. 


"The  House  of  House  Wares' 


Yost-Dohrmann  Co. 

China  Hall 
417-423  E.  Main  St.,  Stockton,  Cal. 

Crockery,  Glassware, 
Cutlery,  Lamps,  Kitchen 
Utensils,  Cafe  Outfitters. 

126 


The  RECORD  BUILDING  '06f 

have   in   Stockton    and    San    Joaquin    County 


RECORD    PUBLISHING    CO., 
Irving  Martin,  President 


This  book  is  but  one  of  hun 
dreds  you'll  find  at  our  store. 
We  are  helping  develop  Stock 
ton  by  having  established  Cen 
tral  California's  finest  book, 
stationery  and  office  supply 
house. 

Tredway  Bros.,  Inc. 

5  1  6  E.  Main  St.,  Stockton,  Cal. 


127 


This  Tells  the  Sperry  Flour  Company's  Part 
In  Stockton's  Development. 


First 

Sperry 

Mill, 

Stockton; 

1852. 

Daily 

Output, 

20  bbls. 

Flour 


Union 

Mill, 

Daily 

Output, 

2000  bbls. 

Our 

Entire 

Daily 

Output 

Averages 

6600  bbls. 

Flour, 

40  tons 

Cereals. 


128 


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